In Love, Death, and Life
by Invaderk
Summary: [KataraxAang] Memories, family, friends, and willpower are the only things that can set Katara's life on track. This story includes multiple genres, as well as a hefty and healthy serving of Kataang fluff!
1. Together

A/N: Welcome to Invaderk's second attempt at Avatar fan fiction. Though I have other important things I should be doing, my Avatar Theory is driving me insane, so I'm tweaking it and putting it here. This is the prologue/first chapter, and I'll add more if people want to read more. If not, it'll stay a oneshot.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Happy Reading!

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In Love, Death, and Life

Chapter One - Together 

Aang and Sokka sat together at a long wooden table covered with fish, meat, bread, ginseng tea, and fruits for a light lunch. While Aang steered clear of the meat, the other man was more than happy to finish off the rest.

The actual war had been over for a few years, but the combined nations still had trouble rounding up all the Fire Nation rebels, such as those who believed the other nations to be inferior.

"So what do you think?" asked Aang, only it sounded muffled due to the vast amount of food he'd stuffed into his mouth.

Sokka plucked up another slice of meat with his fork and pointed it lazily at the Avatar. "I think," he responded, swallowing a bite of food and putting another in his mouth, "that something's up. Something that Katara hasn't told you about."

Aang laughed. "Katara tells me everything, Sokka!"

"How can you be so sure?" Sokka countered, narrowing his eyes. "If I know my sister – and I do – then I know that she keeps things to herself. If she's got a _problem_, sure, she'll blabber about nothing 'till the bison come home. But other things she keeps to herself. Women her age just do that."

"So it's a twenties thing, huh?"

"Could be."

Aang tapped a thoughtful finger against his chin and 'hmmed' in consideration. Then, in a rush of revelation, he had a dawning suspicion. "Hey wait," he said. "You don't think she could be –?"

The door burst open and green-clad guard staggered into the room. Aang and Sokka leapt to their feet in alarm; trailing from behind the guard was a steady flow of blood.

"Fire Nation rebels," the guard gasped. "They've launched an assault on the city. They're here for –" he fell to his knees and clutched at his throat "For –"

Aang darted forward and dropped to his knees beside the guard, who began to fall forward. He caught him around the middle and almost pulled his hands away at the feel of blood on the guard's back, but held him steady as the guard managed to choke out one last fragment:

"The Avatar."

The guard gasped, shuddered, and fell both still and silent. Aang looked up at Sokka with a horrified expression as he set the corpse down on the wooden floor.

"We have to fight!" he exclaimed, leaping to his feet.

"Way ahead of you," Sokka answered. He snatched up his best weapon from the table and tossed Aang his staff. He ran for the door, the sound of his boots pounding on the wood seemingly louder than ever before. "Come on, let's go."

Aang nodded and began running after Sokka in haste.

-

Sokka didn't stop running, even after his sister's house loomed into view near the riverside. Katara came running out of the front door, her bare feet stirring up a good deal of dust and dirt from the warm ground. When she saw her bruised and bleeding brother running up the road, she knew that something had gone terribly wrong. The absence of a certain Airbender had already told her that.

"Sokka! What's wrong?" shouted Katara.

Sokka didn't answer until he stopped in front of Katara, bent over double and gasping for breath. Even then, when he could hardly breathe, she could still hear his response.

"It's the – the rebels," he gasped. He stood up straighter to look at his sister and she saw tear tracks embedded in the dirt on his face. "We beat them, but – but Katara, they…" he trailed off.

She grabbed his by the shoulders and shook him. He dropped his weapon to the ground, where it made a distant clatter as it connected with the earth. "Sokka, where is Aang?" she asked, furrowing her eyebrows. He didn't answer and she shook him harder. A lump began forming in her throat and tears welled up in her eyes when realization began to set in. "Sokka! Where is he?" Her voice was desperate and pleading.

Sokka shook his head. "Katara," he muttered, his arms hanging limp by his side, "Aang is – he's dead."

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A/N: So here you have it. If you don't want more, we'll leave it off here at this sort of morbid ending. Whatever floats your boat is good for me. 


	2. In Spirit

A/n: Hooray for second chapters! I got some really positive feedback on the first chapter, so I'm going to press on with my tale.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Happy Reading!

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Chapter Two – In Spirit

She could hear voices coming from every which direction, but opening her eyes would mean that her terrifying dream would come to life. And it would be; she wasn't going to waste her life pretending that Sokka hadn't come running to her with the news. But she didn't want to open her eyes. Not yet. Opening her eyes would mean succumbing to the truth, that –

_No_

A cool hand rested on her forehead and brushed back her hair. She stirred and voices murmured around her in solemn agreement.

"You are lucky, Katara. If your brother had not been there to catch you, you may have cracked your head open." That voice was, without a doubt, Iroh. He came around from time to time, usually to sit with a cup of tea and play _Pai Sho_ or to run some sort of Firebending drill with Aang.

Aang.

The truth hit her hard, surprising her into opening her eyes. She looked around the modest room and didn't at first recognize the place. Half a moment later, the thought occurred to her that she was in her own bed. In or on? Her hand grasped the throw upon which she lay. On. Few others were in the room; only Sokka and Iroh, along with a woman Katara recognized to be a medicine woman from the city.

Iroh smiled grimly and placed put his hands together in his sleeves. "It is good to see that you are alert, Katara," he said.

She sat up and pulled her hair back into a quick knot. The words on her mind leapt to her tongue but froze there once her mind had a chance to process her question. She had so many questions and wanted to ask them all at once, while at the same time didn't want any answers at all. Finally she did manage to ask something:

"Do I want to know what happened?"

Neither Iroh nor Sokka replied. Katara took this as a 'no'.

-

Later that night, when Iroh had left and Sokka was asleep in the next room over, Katara allowed herself to cry briefly into her pillow before trying to get some sleep. Letting out grief was one thing, but she knew that she mustn't forget her job as a Waterbender in a time of crisis; forgetting would cost her more than the price of a few tears.

She rolled over and rested her face on the side of her pillow. "Oh, Aang," she breathed tearfully.

It wasn't that she couldn't think of anything else to say – she could say novels worth of words, but "Oh, Aang" just about summed it up. They'd grown up together, learned together, fought together, and loved together. She had been the 'earthly attachment' that kept him from reaching the Avatar State and he had been, well, that was a little harder to explain.

Closing her eyes, Katara tried to find sleep, but it would not come. Instead, the soft whispering of her name seemed to float by her ear in Aang's voice, like a summoning, and it seemed so real that she had to open her eyes and see for herself that it was all a dream. That she had been having a nightmare. She opened her eyes.

And there stood Aang. It was Aang as he had left her that morning – age twenty-four and strong, still clothed in monk attire and still with a shaved head. Only, it was clearly not _Aang_; he was almost a blue, darkish color, and a strange eerie glow emitted from him as he stood in the room they'd shared for eight years. A spirit, undoubtedly.

"Aang!" Katara sat bolt-upright and watched as he crossed the room – his feet didn't make the slightest sound on the ground – and stopped beside the bed.

Aang smiled, but he seemed to be sad. He sat down on the edge of the bed and sighed.

"So," he said, "I guess I died today."

"Sure seems like it," Katara replied dryly, though a tear escaped from her eye and rolled down her cheek. "Did you come to say goodbye to me, Aang?"

Aang let out a long breath and glanced at the ceiling for a few seconds before turning back to Katara. "Well, that's part of it."

"What's the other part?"

"I've got to warn you about something," he said, suddenly grave. When Katara merely stared, he said simply, "Tell me a little about the Avatar Cycle."

"Well," she began, wringing her hands nervously, unsure of what to say to her dead husband, "I know the order of the Cycle is Earth, Fire, Air, and Water." She looked up. "Are you telling me about the next Avatar?"

"Yup." He nodded. "Aaand I came here to tell you that you're carrying it."

Katara furrowed her brows in confusion. "What do you mean? I'm –"

"Pregnant, yeah." He scratched the back of his head in a nervous way and let out a long, slow breath and laughed. "It's funny how you find out so many things in the Spirit World. I was going to say it wasn't my fault, but _hah_…"

Katara, meanwhile, looked shocked and not the least bit amused. "I – I can't be carrying the Avatar. _The Avatar!_ Aang, I can't do this all over again!" she exclaimed, though she kept her voice down for Sokka's sake. "And I can't raise a child all alone."

Aang lowered his head closer to hers and smiled. "You won't be alone," he murmured, reaching out and resting a hand on hers. His touch wasn't quite there. "You have Sokka and Toph and loads of people that would die to help you."

Katara looked away, her bottom lip trembling. "And lots of people that would die to get rid of the Avatar before it gets any training," she spat bitterly to the bedspread because she couldn't bear to look at Aang.

Aang did nothing at first, then lifted her chin with one hand and kissed her on the mouth, softly. A strange sensation. "Only tell the people that you have to," he whispered, then sat upright and stood. "I have to go now. They're waiting for me."

_Who?_ Katara scrambled to her knees on the bed and made to grab his monk sleeve, but missed. He turned around to face her again. "Wait!" she gasped. "I still don't know what to do! What about Kiyodu and Sokka and Toph– and…" she broke off. "And what about _me_, Aang?"

Sighing again, Aang strode forward, dropped to his knees on the bed, and took his wife in his arms. Already he seemed to be leaving her again, just like earlier today. "I've got to go, Katara." His voice had more of an echo than previously, even as a spirit.

"C-can you come and visit me again?" Katara whimpered, clinging to him as if her grasp could keep him in this world with her.

"I can't," Aang apologized. "You can do this, Katara. Use your memories and everything you've learned to teach the Avatar how to master the elements and grow up at the same time. Make sure they have some fun while they still can, before the Fire Nation rebels force you to begin training."

"I can't –" she began, but he cut her off.

"You _can_," he stated firmly, his voice even more far off. He began fading away, but he pulled away from the embrace only long enough to share one last lingering ghostly kiss before holding her tighter in his arms. "I love you, Katara. Goodbye."

"I love you, Aang."

The next thing she knew, Katara was embracing thin air and silent tears were spilling from her eyes. She dropped her arms to her sides and looked down at her empty hands.

"Alright Katara," she said to herself, drawing in a shaky breath and rubbing her arms as if she were freezing. Though she wanted to deny everything and anything, she knew that what she'd witnessed had been no lie, and that all she could do was assure herself as Aang had assured her: with determination. He'd believed in her, and now she had to believe in herself. "You can do this."

* * *


	3. In Secret

A/N: Alright, the beginning is over and so is the depressing stuff. It's time to pick this thing up and get the plot moving! While the beginning is a wrap-up of the sad aspects, I hope you find that we're beginning to find the path of plot.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Happy Reading!

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Chapter Three – In Secret  


_Good Friend_

_Loving Husband_

_Caring Father_

_Strong Leader_

Services were always the same. Same inscriptions, same eulogy, same attire. What Katara found was that funerals never did their subjects any justice, and they were never run by people who knew the dead person well enough to make a good eulogy. This funeral was no exception. Sure, mountains of people from all over the world had come to pay their 'last respects' to the Great Avatar who helped to change the world, but those people hardly knew him.

All in all, the service was alright. Katara thought that the best part – and possibly the only good part – had been Toph's Earthbending a little extra segment underneath the usual mumbo-jumbo of depressing comments and the comments on Aang's great achievements as the Avatar:

_A terrible cook with a short attention span and a heart big enough to make up for it._

Yes, Toph, Sokka, and Katara had shared a mighty laugh over this particular segment. Even now, when Katara thought of the words 'attention span' she heard the word _"PENGUIN!"_ echo through her head in Aang's voice.

And then there was Kiyodu, who had come all the way from the Southern Air Temple to attend his father's service. At the age of eight, the boy understood the significance of the event and the events that would soon occur thereafter. He'd sat between Sokka and Katara and held his mother's hand through the entire ordeal.

-

"Mom?"

In the kitchen, Katara stopped her conversation with Sokka, turned to face her son, and was struck again by just how much he resembled Aang. Kiyodu wore the traditional monk attire, courtesy of Aang's teachings, and bore a shaved head with an arrow atop it in representation of his Airbending mastery. The resemblance was so strong, in fact, that when she'd first seen him coming up the street with his staff, she'd almost mistaken him for Aang. In a way, they were almost the same person. Then again, Aang had never been able to develop a taste for stewed sea prunes.

"Yeah?"

Kiyodu turned his staff sideways in his hands and twiddled his thumbs nervously. "Does all this –" Katara noticed his determination in not mentioning death "– mean that I'm the last Airbender?"

Katara sighed and rested a hand on his shoulder. "Yes," she replied, "But, perhaps, not for long." When she said this, Kiyodu looked up at her with a questioning expression. Katara smiled and got down on one knee in front of him. "I'm going to have a baby, Kiyodu."

A moment of silence followed.

His face brightened and he exclaimed, "Really? That's great! Maybe he'll be an Airbender like me, and I can teach him how to make an Air Scooter and play Airball!"

"Yes, maybe you can," she answered. Clearly the boy had forgotten that the baby could be a girl, but she didn't have the heart to remind him at the time. Instead, she shot Sokka a significant glance and he nodded once to show that he understood. A smirk was evident upon his face.

"But there's something else," she added hastily, before Kiyodu could get further off track. He fell silent. "I don't want you to tell anybody about this, okay? Not a soul."

He made a confused face. "How come?"

Unsure of what to say, Katara didn't reply. Sokka, on the other hand, came to the rescue just in time.

"Because we don't know if we can keep it," said Sokka, stepping forward until he was beside his sister. He and Katara shared a look that the young boy missed. Katara mouthed the word 'we?' and Sokka shrugged as if to say, "You're my sister".

"How come?"

"Because…" Sokka drifted off and glanced in Katara's direction. "The king might make a child limit because of… of…"

"Overpopulation," Katara finished.

This time, the siblings' smirks were apparent. Apparent enough for Kiyodu to roll his eyes at the ceiling and sigh loudly.

"Alright, I get it," he said, annoyed by the lack of trust. "I won't tell anybody."

-

The night after Katara's startling premonition, she'd told Sokka exactly what had happened, minus the more sentimental aspects of the ordeal. Much to her surprise, he'd shown no skepticism, though he'd seemed mortally offended that she hadn't gotten him awake to say goodbye to Aang ("I mean _come on_, Katara, I was in the next room over! You could have given me a kick in the ribs or something!").

In addition, he'd elected to hang around the house for a while in order to maintain order and keep things moving in the house. While this was his excuse, she knew better than to believe itt. Or, at least, she knew better than to believe that 'maintaining order' was the only reason that he'd chosen to stay. For one, he'd had a falling out with Suki, and he most probably wanted to make sure that she, Katara, could still function through her daily routine. And she could. She _had_ to now.

"First thing's first," muttered Katara to herself as she sat, cross-legged, on her bed. An unfurled scroll and an ink bottle stood ready in front of her. "I need to contact the masters I'll need in order to make this happen. If I can't, then I might as well say goodbye to –"

"Talking to yourself again?"

Startled, Katara jumped and whirled around to see her brother standing in the doorway with his machete in one hand and a sharpening tool in the other. She harrumphed and crossed her arms before turning away from him.

"I've found that the only person I can have a civilized conversation with is myself," she replied haughtily, fighting a smirk.

Sokka held up his full hands as a sign of surrender. "Okay, alright, I get it. I'll leave you alone with yourself."

For a moment she made to stop him, but she held herself back. Instead, she yelled at his retreating back, "Do you still consider yourself to be a brave warrior, Sokka?"

He stopped in the doorway, turned around, and made a face. "Of course I do," he replied. "I _am_ a warrior."

"I see." A small smile graced her lips. "How would you like to be the Avatar's personal trainer? For non-Bending training, that is."

Sokka grinned, dropped his weapon, got down on his knees in mock praise, and made as if worshiping his younger sister. Katara laughed.

"Oh worthy sister, how can I ever repay you for allowing this honor?" he begged jokingly.

"Well, you can start by cleaning out Appa's shed," Katara replied airily, closing her eyes and turning back to her scroll with meditative poise.

The grin on Sokka's face quickly turned to a scowl, but he nevertheless climbed back to his feet, scooped up his machete, and marched out the door. Katara grinned and went to work.

* * *

A/N: The quality of this chapter makes me very sad, but it will get better, I promise. D: 


	4. In Memory

A/N: Hmm, where did my Author's Note go? Oh well, here's an edited version of chapter four!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Happy Reading!

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Chapter Four – In Memory  


"_I know birthdays are important and all, but what's so special about turning sixteen?" Aang asks as he flops down between Katara and Toph, who are watching Sokka as he attempts to start a fire with increasing desperation. His dignity keeps Aang from attempting to help him. At least, unless he is asked to._

_Katara's eyes don't move from Sokka, who is now furiously rubbing two rocks together with his tongue poking out of the corner of his mouth. "Do you remember when Master Pakku announced Princess Yue's sixteenth birthday?" she asks quietly._

"_Sure." Aang closes one eye and sticks out his tongue in an attempt to remember what conspired on that particular day. "He said that since Princess Yue was sixteen she could… uh…"_

"_She could be married," Sokka cuts in, straightening up and stretching his stiff back. A small fire was finally crackling at their feet. Both Aang and Katara look to Sokka with some discomfort, for he speaks without any enthusiasm or humor in his voice. "When a girl from the Water Tribe turns sixteen, she can get married."_

_Aang and Katara both look uncomfortable now. She shifts away from him, but only to grab a nearby knapsack and fish around in it for some food. Eventually she grabs a loaf of bread and divides it between the four of them. Meanwhile Aang continues to stare at Katara out of the corner of his eye with utmost interest. Katara senses this and says nothing. She knows what he's thinking about because she's thinking something along the same lines. They're both thinking about Katara's rapidly approaching sixteenth birthday. They're both wondering about marri – _

"Katara, are you listening to me or not?"

With a jolt, Katara snapped out of her memory and sat upright in her chair. Sokka, disgruntled by something or another, paced the length of the room with swift movements. His boomerang was clutched in one white-knuckled hand.

"Sorry Sokka, what were you saying?" she asked. During her little memory she'd missed his entire rampage. Usually this wouldn't be such a bad thing, but the young warrior seemed truly angered this time.

Sokka rolled his eyes and sighed. "You're just as bad as _he_ is, Katara. Won't give me a second of his _precious time_ –"

"Who?" She sat up, now interested in what he had to say.

"The stupid King," he replied, standing mockingly upright like a soldier. "He thinks he's better than everybody now that he's got the throne and all this power. He called me _peasant_ in his return letter, can you believe that, Katara?"

Katara narrowed her eyes and let out an annoyed breath. "Yes."

The king who Sokka referred to was, of course, the Fire Nation Lord. Fire Lord Zuko, to be exact. He'd taken over the thrown towards the end of the war after single-handedly defeating Azula. Ozai, though, had been overpowered by Aang in the end, even without Aang using the Avatar State. Aang never did master the Avatar State, due to certain 'earthly attachments' that he had been unable to disentangle himself from.

"…_he said that I need to rid myself of all earthly attachment… but I can't. I don't _want_ to…"_

"_You can't let me keep you from saving the world, Aang."_

"Katara, am I losing you again?"

"Sorry, Sokka." Again, Katara sat upright in her chair and gave her brother an apologetic look. He sighed, exasperated, and went back to pacing the floor. A thought occurred to her then. "Sokka, why were you even talking to Zuko? We live in Ba Sing Se, not the Fire Nation."

Sokka stopped pacing and stared at his sister. "I was just reminding him that the rebels who killed Aang were from his Nation and that he'd better take some responsibility over there," he stated in a matter-of-fact tone, crossing his arms across his chest.

Katara sighed loudly and connected her palm with her forehead.

"Oh Sokka, why do you always have to make trouble?" she groaned.

"I'm not making trouble!" Sokka countered with indignant pride. "I was just –"

The front door opened and a very sarcastic voice called out, "Sokka? Make trouble? Now _that's_ hard to believe."

Katara leapt up from her seat and rushed toward the front door with Sokka at her heels. It had been over a month now – longer than any of them had expected – but apparently things were shaping up.

"Welcome home, Toph!"

Toph grinned. "Glad to be back. Training those Earth Boneheads was more challenging than I expected it to be. Sure took me a lot longer than I'd hoped." A few moments passed, where Katara and Sokka grinned at the Blind Bandit and the Blind Bandit stared at nothing in particular. She shuffled one foot on the ground. "So, are you going to leave me outside or can I come in?"

"Be my guest," Katara answered, and pushed the door open so that Toph could enter the house all the way.

In one hand Toph carried a walking stick, and a knapsack was slung over one shoulder and down her back. Katara took both of these things and placed them beside the doorway, her hand running over the length of the stick before setting it down. She'd never seen it before.

"What is this?" she asked.

"What is what?"

"This walking stick."

At this, Toph laughed coldly and replied, "It was a mishap with an Earthbender named Naomi – a real klutz. I don't really need it, but it's nice to have security, do you know what I mean?" Sokka nodded, forgetting for a moment that Toph couldn't see him. "And besides, Naomi turned out to be one of the better fighters; she wasn't afraid to take on a challenge."

Sokka spoke for the first time after a moment of silence. "Wasn't?"

Toph bowed her head and Katara understood. Clearly an accident of some sort had occurred – either that or an ambush. The older woman rested a hand on the Blind Bandit's shoulder and offered something to eat ("Because you must be hungry after traveling halfway across the country"). Toph accepted with vigor, and the three of them sat down to eat together.

-

"So," Toph began through mouthfuls of steaming soup, "how's Fancy Feet?"

Fancy Feet and Twinkle Toes. Kiyodu and Aang. When this new nickname first came up, Katara's first thought had been a sarcastic and exasperated "fantastic". Even now Katara sighed, only out of a mixture of feelings. Her hand rested on her abdomen.

"He's back at the Southern Air Temple," said Katara. She picked up her bowl, took a sip, and set it back down on the table. "Aang told him that he should go there some time to study the monks and the past Airbenders. I thought he was a little young to go on his own, but…" she shrugged, then added for Toph's sake, "He's with Appa."

"And Momo," Sokka interjected. Katara shot him a 'very funny, not helpful' look and went back to her soup.

Toph frowned, downed the last of her soup in one long swig, and smacked her lips. "I don't see what he can do up there besides meditate. I never found meditation to be exciting for days at a time."

"I think he's hoping to hear some sort of sign from Aang; they say the Avatar is the medium between the worlds, and since there is no Avatar – not yet, anyway – he seems to think that he has a chance, being the last Airbender and all," said Katara. She sighed. "But besides that, I'm sure he's fine. I told him to be back home before winter and the bad weather or else he might be frozen in an iceberg for a hundred years." She chuckled, seemingly to herself.

Some time passed in silence, with Sokka and Toph eating and Katara musing over a bout of new memories that had settled at the surface of her mind. Memories of sitting around this very table months – no, years – ago, just the four of them and occasionally Momo, and then eventually Kiyodu as well.

_Boy_¸ she thought. _Things sure are different without Aang._

-

Way back when and many years ago, a brother had told a sister that nothing was better for sore muscles than a hot bath. Later, this philosophy would be taken up by medics all over Ba Sing Se, but at one point it was just a piece of advice from a brother who enjoyed playing practical jokes on his sister. So naturally, when hearing this advice, the sister was skeptical. Many years later, that same sister gently closed the door of a bathroom and slipped from her robe into the hot water.

Katara closed her eyes and submerged her body in the steaming, frothy water. Her muscles ached as if she'd been exercising nonstop. And in a way, she _had_ been; carting around a considerable amount of extra weight was no easy feat, especially for a woman who had done little to no training in the last months.

A loud knock echoed on the door, followed by, "Dinner in an hour."

Smirking, Katara replied, "Yes, Sokka."

At least Sokka knocked.

_Enter one hefty dose of bubble soap. Check. Enter one female Waterbender. Check. Katara sighed and sank down under the bubbles so that only her feet, arms and hands, and neck and head were exposed. Over the half-screen she'd set up in front of the tub she could see the bathroom door. Of course, she had told the other residents of the house that she was bathing and not to come barging in, but Sokka had been dozing, Aang had been propelling Momo around with Airbending, and Toph had been flicking small chunks of dirt with the intent of landing them in Sokka's open mouth as he dozed. Better to be safe than sorry. _

_She ducked under the water (and boy did that burn her face) and resurfaced, just to get her hair wet. Then, not five minutes later, the door suddenly opened and Aang walked into the room. Katara gasped and sank lower in the tub, though doing so was unnecessary due to the screen and the bubbly water. He stopped dead in the doorway when she gasped, as if frozen to the spot. His eyes widened and they stared at each other for a few moments, he shocked and she mortified, until she got her voice back._

"_Aang?" she said in a shaky voice._

_He shook his head as if to clear his mind and blushed scarlet. "Sorry!" he gasped, and slammed the door shut after backing out of the room._

_When the ringing silence had died away, she silently let out a breath and thought that he was probably standing out there with his back to the door, horrified and fascinated. She knew it had been an accident – the shock on his face when he'd realized she was there told her that – but it didn't change the fact that he had now (more or less) seen her in a rather (naked) vulnerable state, and it didn't stop the redness from flooding to her face. Humiliated, she shrank down up to her nose in the water and thanked whatever Higher Power for bubbles and soap suds._

Sighing, Katara leaned her elbow on the side of the tub and leaned her face on her knuckles. Almost lazily, she lifted one hand, waved it, and a very small amount of water leapt from the tub. It separated itself into two figures and formed two little stick-like figures. With another wave of her hand, the first figure raised its little hand and blasted away the second figure with mock-Waterbending. Katara laughed, then dunked her head under the water.

* * *

A/N: No, she's not going crazy. I was just having fun with the Waterbending stick figures. xD Writing the memories was fun, too. 


	5. In Training

**A/N:** Why this story is rated T: I can't keep from making little comments. xD

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Happy Reading!

* * *

Chapter Five – In Training  


Morning rose up over Ba Sing Se, and with it rose the inhabitants of a small, secluded house. The two female figures of the house sat together at breakfast, chatting about various topics ranging from Katara's pregnancy to Sokka's relationship with Suki.

"…so it hasn't been going very well," finished Katara with a sigh.

Toph pondered in a thoughtful silence before a grin came to her face. "Hey, do you remember that time we went to visit Suki and Sokka, and when we got there – wait, he's coming!" she hissed, and dove into her breakfast as if her appetite had suddenly increased.

And she was right. Sokka came strolling out of his room and towards the front door, swinging his boomerang between his loose fingers. He whistled a cheery tune, his step with an unusual bounce and his shoulders unusually straight. Upon a double-take, Katara noticed a defined shadow on his upper lip and fought a giggle.

"Uh, Sokka?"

He stopped in the doorway and looked at his sister with a quizzical expression.

"Did you shave this morning?"

A blush crept onto his face. "Yeah, why?" This could not have been more of a lie. Even if she hadn't known Sokka all her life she could have figured this out. Instead, she acted as if she hadn't noticed. Well, sort of.

"Well," she began innocently, twiddling her thumbs on the table, "I think you missed a spot – like, your whole face."

Scowling, Sokka snapped, "Well excuse me for being a man."

"I think it looks nice," offered Toph with a polite smile.

Sokka rolled his eyes and stomped off toward the bathroom. "Okay okay, I get it. I'll go shave now."

When his footfalls disappeared, Toph grinned and looked over at Katara through pale eyes. "How funny did he look?"

Katara took a sip of water, smiling serenely. "_Hilarious_."

-

Later, an unexpected visitor carrying a staff and a scroll came running into the house with considerable speed. Toph, who had been sitting with Katara, announced the arrival of good news at once: "Fancy Feet is back."

Kiyodu was welcomed with open arms, food, and tea. As he relaxed with his mother, uncle, and Toph, he handed his mother the scroll that he had carried into the house.

"I got it when I came into the city," he explained. "The guard gave it to me to give to you – said something about the Fire Nation."

Katara raised her eyebrows, unfurled the scroll, and read it quickly. While she did this, a crease formed between her brows and a downward curve formed in the corners of her mouth. She sighed and handed the scroll to Sokka.

"What's it say?" Toph asked impatiently.

"It says that my plans are all messed up now," answered Katara bitterly. She crossed her arms over her slightly bulging abdomen in a huff and slouched down against the wall. "I wanted Iroh to teach the Avatar Firebending when the time comes, but it seems that he's going to be occupied." Kiyodu's eyes widened in considerable shock at the mention of the Avatar, but he said nothing.

Sokka let the bottom half of the scroll go, and it wound itself up. "He's taken up a chain of tea shops!" Sokka exclaimed, incredulous and amused at the same time.

Toph furrowed her eyebrows. "Yeah, so?"

"Tea shops in the _Fire Nation_."

"Oh, right. Carting the young Avatar around the Fire Nation would probably be a bad idea, I suppose."

Meanwhile, Kiyodu helped himself to a pastry and stuffed the entire thing in his mouth. Katara noticed this and said nothing; she had more pressing matters on her mind at the moment. It wasn't until he began gagging that she stopped her train of thought just long enough to wallop him once on the back to clear his air passages – something he probably could have done with Airbending. Call it a mother's instinct.

"So anyway, now I have to find another master," she sighed. "I don't have the heart to take Iroh away from his tea."

"Yeah, it might break him," agreed Sokka, rolling his eyes at the ceiling. He looked at his sister with a critical eye. "Wouldn't it be nice if all this 'seeing your dead husband' stuff was just some figment of your overactive imagination? Like, you're just getting fat instead of pregnant and – _ouch!_ Toph, stop that!"

"Stop what?" Toph asked innocently, folding her hands on her lap.

Sokka growled and rubbed the back of his head where a small stone had come in contact with his skull. "Benders," he muttered under his breath, "I'm _surrounded_ by Benders and their stupid magic."

Kiyodu gave him a large grin in reply and stuffed another pastry into his mouth.

-

Katara awoke during the night and was immediately aware that her heart was racing. Another nightmare, just a bad dream. Her position on the bed was slightly compact, with her legs tucked in, her hands clasped beside her face, and her body lying on her left side.

By the time she and Aang were married – he at sixteen and she at eighteen – his height had shot up so rapidly that she had wondered if he'd grown an inch taller with each passing day. He wasn't particularly tall – not taller than Sokka – perhaps around six feet, but by the time they were married he was taller than she and he could tuck himself comfortably behind her so they fit in the same position. And they slept this way out of habit. More often than not, if she awoke during the night, she could count on his arm being draped protectively over her side, or his hand resting in the curve of her waist. He was never a grabber, his hands never idly wandered where they shouldn't (or, in some cases, should) be, and his respect for her and her body and her privacy was unwavering. It always had been, ever since the beginning.

In an attempt to free these thoughts from her mind, she rolled over into a different position and closed her eyes. What had she been dreaming about, anyway? She couldn't remember, but she had an aching suspicion that it had involved Aang in some way. And probably the Avatar as well, now that she thought of it.

-

Three and a half months in: Katara's pregnancy was quickly becoming apparent. She was forced to break out the clothes that she had worn while pregnant with Kiyodu. In addition, she decided that taking a trip across the country was more than necessary at this point; she needed to have guaranteed masters to train the new Avatar when the time came.

So across the country they went. It was Katara's first time flying since Aang's death, and her brother was a bit hesitant to allow her to fly, given her condition. In the end she and Toph managed to persuade him, mainly by threatening that they would leave him behind.

She sat, cross-legged, with the others as Appa soared over the glistening sea with Kiyodu at the reins. All the while, she contemplated the places she needed to go and the people she had to meet. She needed a master for each of the four elements, and for the most part it was not that complicated. Toph would teach Earthbending, Kiyodu would teach Airbending, and Katara herself would teach Waterbending. In theory, the new Avatar would be a natural Waterbender anyway, and so it would take less work on Katara's part.

But with Iroh gone to take care of his tea shops, Katara was left without much choice for a Firebender. The new Avatar, whether it be a he or a she, would need a master to learn Firebending from. And if Katara needed a master to teach her child Firebending, which she did, then she needed –

"Fire Lord Zuko."

Zuko looked up from the scroll he had been reading and a dark smile rose to his face. Katara wasn't disheartened by this, and nor was she frightened by his usual steady, knowing voice.

"Katara, it is good to see you." Zuko bowed his head and added in a murmur, "I am deeply grieved to learn of the Avatar's fate. It is terrible to lose such a fine Bender."

"He was more than a Bender to me, Zuko," Katara replied, stepping past the guards and striding towards his throne without hesitation. Sokka stopped at the doorway, next to the guards, and stood there with his boomerang in one hand and his machete in the other. "But I cannot expect you to understand that. And besides, I have come here to discuss an important request, not my late husband."

Zuko sat back, placed his scroll on the nearby table, folded his hands, and raised an eyebrow. "I see. And what is this important request that you have? It must be urgent if you traveled all the way to the Fire Kingdom to make it."

"Indeed."

"Talk to me."

Katara climbed the stairs on swift feet and stopped before the throne. She got down on one knee and looked up at the scarred Lord through calm eyes. "I need a Firebending master," she said.

"For what?" Zuko sat up straight and stared down at the woman in front of him. "Do you know of the next Avatar?"

Katara stood up suddenly and put one hand on either of the throne's armrests. She leaned closer to the Fire Lord and narrowed her eyes. Zuko shrank away in surprise and alarm, though he did nothing to stop her.

"Listen, Zuko, let's drop the formalities," she hissed quietly, so that nobody else – namely the guards – could hear. "I need you to help me."

After realizing that he'd shown fear in front of Katara, Zuko straightened up and set his eyes firmly upon hers. His poise was unwavering, his voice steady an accusing, yet just as quiet as hers.

"So you _have_ found the Avatar." A small smirk rose to the corners of his lips. "I see. And I presume, from my knowledge of the Avatar Cycle, that this new Avatar is from the Water Tribe?" Katara nodded once. "Is it born yet?" Katara shook her head. "Who is the carrier, then?"

Katara leaned closer, so that the two Benders' faces were not two inches apart. Neither backed down. Sokka, who still stood in the doorway with the two Firebending guards, yawned and began picking his nails with the tip of his machete.

"I am."

A flicker of surprise flitted across Zuko's scarred face, his pupils contracted as his eyes widened the slightest bit. Katara didn't smile. His eyes flickered down to her abdomen and then back up to her face.

"_You_ are?" He repeated, sounding shocked. Then he sat back and allowed a cold laugh to escape him. He crossed his arms. "I'm not surprised. Not really; I should have known. How do you know already? Usually it is not known until after birth."

"Call it a premonition, if you like."

Katara clicked her tongue impatiently after a few silent moments. "Yes yes, congratulations for figuring it out. Now will you help me or do I have to drag my pregnant body across another country to find a willing Bender, Zuko?"

"You know I would _love_ to help…" he began innocently, twiddling his thumbs with a suspicious-looking expression. It made his old scar look almost eerie. "But…"

"But what?" Katara sighed.

"What's in it for me?"

Both remained silent for a few moments, Zuko looking up at the woman through narrowed eyes. Finally Katara smiled a knowing smile, reached up to her neck, and pulled off a familiar chain with a small sealed container at the end. Recognizing the bottle at once, Zuko's eyes widened and he stood.

"We have a deal," he said, holding out his outstretched palm to accept the healing water.

Katara, still smiling, put the chain back around her neck and tucked it safely away. "I don't think so, not yet," she said. "When the time comes, if you help me, this will be your payment."

A small smile – one that could almost be considered a cross between amusement and friendliness – came to his lips. With a nod, he sat down placed the tips of his fingers together. Katara bowed low, straightened up, and turned away.

"I'll contact you when the time comes," she said airily, stepping down the stone stairs and heading towards her brother. "All of this will be held with the utmost confidence, I presume?"

"Of course."

"Thank you, Fire Lord."

Katara met Sokka at the door, nodded, and headed out. Sokka followed suit, but not before shooting Zuko a cool look, making the "I've got my eyes on you" gesture, and blowing a mocking kiss.

* * *

A/N: No, Sokka is not feeling slashy , he's just poking fun. 

I love Zuko :3

More memories next chapter, I promise!


	6. In Love

A/N: This chapter pretty much wrote itself, which is a very rewarding experience. It has a part I didn't know if I would be able to include, so I hope you like it.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Happy Reading!

* * *

Chapter Six – In Love

"I can't believe you're giving your healing water to that – that _thing_ that calls itself Fire Lord." Sokka wasn't taking this particular aspect of the deal very well. "And besides, I thought you used all of the water when… you know…"

"We get the point," Toph said bluntly.

Sokka shifted and eyed Kiyodu and Momo, who was snoozing by Kiyodu's side, for a moment before continuing, "Right. Okay, Toph." he rounded on his sister, who was sitting and enjoying the view from the sky. "But Katara, I don't understand – Zuko can't use the water without you anyway, so why didn't you let him have it?"

Katara smiled. "Because I don't have any."

Sokka gaped. Toph laughed. Kiyodu, who didn't know Zuko, only smiled at his mother's sneaky tactics.

"Does that mean we're going to the Spirit Oasis?" Kiyodu asked, turning around and watching the rest of the crowd.

With a loud sigh, Sokka flopped backwards and crossed his arms. "Great, just what I needed: another side trip. Why don't we take a pit stop to the Moon while we're at it?"

"I'm sure you wouldn't mind," Katara shot back, though not out of spite.

The look that Sokka gave her was unreadable.

-

_Home again, I suppose_…

Katara, exhausted, pulled her heavy coat over her head and hung it up on the door. She was going to bed, pronto – or sooner, if possible. They had gotten home just an hour or so ago with several new items, including a new small amount of water from the Spirit Oasis. Sokka had gone in with much hesitation, Toph had gone in because she wanted to feel something like earth under her feet, and Kiyodu had wanted to try meditating there. Katara sighed a heavy sigh. He kept trying to make contact with his father, but to no avail thus far. She supposed it wasn't impossible, but rather unlikely.

She stripped down to her undergarments and, on her way over to the bathroom, caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. The exhaustion etched all over her face was almost more than she wanted to stand, but she stopped and examined her reflection just a bit closer. A tired face, yes, but still a pretty one. Average looking besides the pregnancy, and still wearing her engagement necklace. Now her reflection frowned as she got closer to the mirror. The necklace was not her mother's, but her own (her mother's necklace, still a prized and loved possession, had been mounted on the wall near the main entrance of the house). Her necklace had been given to her when –

"_Katara, can I ask you something?" Aang sat down between Katara and Toph, who had been having a discussion about Zuko's recent coronation to the Fire Nation throne._

_Katara turned to Aang and smiled warmly. "Sure, Aang. What's going on?"_

_He shot a nervous glance at Toph, who was staring ahead with a frown on her face; she didn't like to be interrupted. "Uh," he said, "Toph, could you…?"_

"_Yeah yeah, I get it," Toph snapped. Nevertheless, she got up and left the room with a slam of the door. Aang didn't wince, but turned back to Katara._

_After a few awkward moments of silence, Katara decided to press on with the conversation: "So, Aang… you were saying?"_

_He snapped out of his semi-trance and blushed. "Right," he said hastily. "Well, I, uh… Hmm…" he trailed off, as if searching for the right words. "We've been together for a long time, haven't we?"_

_Smiling, Katara replied, "Four years, yeah. What about it?"_

"_I just w-wanted to ask you," he stammered, unsure, grinning out of a mixture of sheepishness and anxiety. Katara frowned; what was he trying to say? Instead of finishing his sentence, he reached behind his back and pulled something into view._

_Katara gasped and covered her mouth with both hands. "Aang! Is that a – a –?"_

"_An engagement necklace, yeah," he finished, having finally found his voice again. And it was; a blue engagement necklace with a carved stone in the center, just like her mother's. "I wanted to know if you would ever… marry me." Neither he nor she said anything for a few moments. Then – _

"_Yes," she whispered tearfully, her hands still covering her mouth. A tear rolled down her cheek._

_Aang jumped slightly, as if surprised. "What?"_

_Katara took her hands away from her mouth and a smile came to her face. She wiped away the tear with two fingers and nodded. "Yes," she repeated, this time audibly. "I would love to marry you."_

_His face broke out in a wide grin and he pounced at her, embracing her in a tackle-hug. She laughed and they both fell backwards onto the floor. _

"_Will you really?" he asked, looking down at her, still too surprised to believe it himself. His grin was contagious. _

"_Yes!" she insisted. Then, in a quiet undertone: "I wouldn't marry anyone else."_

_Overwhelmed with joy, he kissed her. And she kissed him back, too, until –_

"_Guys, I – _gah!_" _

A tear rolled down her cheek like it had that day and Katara wiped it away, smiling sadly.

"That was the day Sokka learned to knock," she said quietly to herself.

She moved closer still to the mirror to get a better look at the necklace. It did bear a resemblance to the one she used to wear, but the carving was different: two Water Tribe emblems with the symbol of the Air Nomads interlocked between them as a symbol of their union. Out of habit, Katara reached up and touched the dangling pendant, running her fingers along the engravings that Aang had put there with such care.

On the day of their one year anniversary, Katara had awoken to find that her necklace was nowhere to be found. Aang later presented it to her, and she saw that he had added a small inscription at the bottom, below the interlocked emblems. It read "beloved wife" (愛妻).

Her smile fading, Katara dropped her hand back to her side and turned away from her reflection. In her mind, there was no need to think about these things more than necessary, and she had to get her mind off of it if she wanted to concentrate on what she needed to do.

Then again, what _did_ she have to do? She had made the proper arrangements with the various Bending masters and made sure that everything was in order for the new Avatar. So what else? It seemed that now, after a long time, she could stop worrying – if that was possible – and relax. Maybe get some sleep.

But sleep would not come. Through the night, a bout of rain passed over the area, and the combination of this and a series of bothersome thoughts kept her awake long after dark. Yes, she was learning to get over Aang and move on with her life. Yes, life was moving on in its slow and steady fashion. And yes, it was hard. She was pregnant and without a husband, and the world was without an Avatar to keep the peace. Since her visit with Zuko back in the beginning of the trip, Katara found herself waking up in the night, remembering flashes of the past.

At one point, not long after the downfall of Ba Sing Se, the four of them had been taken captive by Azula's sub-division army. Aang, after being put under tremendous pressure, had agreed to fight for the Fire Nation. The consequence of taking back his word or trying to escape, however, was death to Katara, Sokka, and Toph. The three captives had been searched for weapons and placed in cells according to their weaknesses. Katara and Sokka, for example, had been thrown in a plain metal cell without any water to access. Toph, on the other hand, who could bend metal, was more difficult for the Fire Nation to contain. In the end, though, they resolved to keep her in an ice chamber of sorts; it was a larger 'cell' than the others, but only because the vast majority of it was water. In the center of the water was an ice plate, where Toph was kept. Meals and bathroom visits were scheduled a few times a day, though the food didn't end hunger in the slightest.

Aang, on the other hand, was not kept in a cell all the time. Because of his promise not to leave and the consequences that would arrive if he tried to, he was allowed out of his cell for Firebending training with a cruel master named Huo. Huo was impatient, unkind, and unafraid to brutalize his students. During one of their few meetings of their stay in the Fire Nation, Aang assured Katara that now, at least, he had a master, and that he was being treated wonderfully. He'd called it 'a vacation' of sorts.

Katara and Sokka, who were celled together, knew better. And one otherwise quiet day, their suspicions were confirmed.

_Katara sat on a mat of straw, trying to meditate to the best of her ability. She'd never really meditated much, but the need was dire now. On another mat lay Sokka, with his hands folded over his occasionally growling stomach. Neither had spoken much that day – after all, what was there to say when trapped in a cell all day, almost all the time?_

_A loud series of shouts from outside caught their attention. Sokka sat upright and looked wildly around. _

"_Where's that coming from?" he asked, alarmed._

_Katara leapt to her feet and darted across the dark cell to the far wall. A small, Momo-sized window was further up, a window with iron bars stationed vertically across it._

"_Give me a boost, Sokka," she whispered urgently, beckoning her brother over to where she stood. _

_Sokka did as instructed, and Katara stood on his shoulders in order to peek through the small window. Outside was an empty, barren, desert-like field of dirt, where a group of guards stood in a circle. Inside the circle, on his hands and knees in front of Huo, was – _

"_Aang!" Katara gasped. "Sokka, Aang's out there!"_

"_What's happening?" Sokka's voice was oddly dry, as if he had not had any water in a long time. Katara figured that her voice must sound similar. _

_But Katara didn't reply. She didn't need to, because a loud shout echoed came through the bars of the window._

"_On your feet!" It was the harsh voice of Huo._

_Aang closed his eyes and tried to get up, but he seemed to be utterly drained. He appeared to have collapsed on their walk to wherever they were going, probably out of a combination of hunger and exhaustion. "I can't…" his voice was too quiet to hear, but Katara read his lips sufficiently enough._

"_I said UP!" Huo's foot connected with Aang's bare side, sending him flying backwards in the dirt. Several of the other men laughed. "I thought the Avatar was supposed to have incredible strength," the master spat._

_Aang picked his head up off the ground and glared at Huo. "The Avatar needs food, just like everybody else!" he countered loudly. He looked like he could use a few meals; Katara had never seen him thinner than this. His once live and bright eyes had become empty somehow, his ribs easily visible through his skin. Once strong arms had diminished, and his skin seemed to have taken on an odd color. _

_Huo's face became twisted with rage and he struck out again, this time with fire. Katara gasped in horror as a plume of flame shot towards the defenseless Avatar. _

"_Katara, tell me what's happening!" Sokka ordered urgently._

"_He's going to kill him if he doesn't stop," Katara whispered. Her hands gripped the bars of the window with all of her pent-up tension and her inner agony. Two tears escaped from her eyes and splashed down her front. "He's not getting up, Sokka. He's not –"_

_Aang stirred on the ground, his skin an odd shade of red in some places. Huo rounded on him again with increasing impatience._

"_I will not tell you again, Boy," he growled. "Get up or I'll kill you and all your little friends. Move!" He stomped over to where Aang lay on the ground and gave his ribs another hard kick. _

_When Aang looked up, Katara didn't see the Aang she knew. She saw somebody else entirely: not an Avatar but just a small boy with a dirty, tearstained face and empty eyes. And when that boy looked up, he looked past Huo and right at Katara, and he saw her there and saw that she was also crying. They stared at each other for a few seconds – it seemed like an eternity – and Aang seemed to gain his strength back. He looked back up at Huo, relieved his face of any expression, and slowly clambered to his feet._

"_Yes," he whispered, looking not at Huo but at her. "I can make it." _

_Huo watched the Avatar for a few moments before giving a grunt of satisfaction. "Good, Avatar, now move along to the training center. Move!"_

_Katara closed her eyes and felt two more tears slip down her face. "Let me down, Sokka. I can't watch any more."_

Yes, those days had been the hardest. They had spent their days and nights cold and hungry – especially cold for Toph, who had been on the ice – until they had finally escaped.

Katara rolled onto her back in bed and tried to push the thought of Aang – especially Aang during their Fire Nation stay – from her mind again.

After the escape, when they were flying somewhere over the sea on Appa, Aang had confided in them that he hadn't done any Bending at all during his 'training' sessions. He'd acted hopeless, as if he knew nothing at all about Firebending. For that reason, he added, they had cracked down on him, feeding him less and allowing him less sleep.

Later, he had fallen ill for a short period of time, and Katara hadn't even been sure that he would make it through the night during the worst of the fever. He had, though, and soon he became well enough to Bend again. Even after he began practicing, he refused to touch Firebending. It was like he had developed a sort of block against them, whether it was on purpose or not. Aang also began spending more time by himself, and only Katara was able to console him.

At that point, though they hadn't shared it with one another, both knew that they felt something different, something stronger than friendship. Katara knew what it was, knew how absolutely powerful and dangerous it was, and hid it away behind the need to save the world. Still, she liked to think that this thing – Dare she say it aloud? No – was what got Aang off the ground that terrible day, when they saw each other and acknowledged it without saying a word. It wasn't until much later

"_I'm just a friend to her," he said, kicking a stone moodily into the lake, "Like Momo."_

that they dared to speak it aloud.

But it remained there, waiting in silence for the opportune moment to arise, and growing stronger with each passing day, with each glimpse, with each accidental touch…

With this thought lingering in her mind and the calming pitter patter of rain on her window, Katara closed her eyes and, eventually, found sleep.

-

The next morning, Katara prepared herself for the day and headed for the kitchen. On her way, though, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror and stopped in front of it, much like the previous night. This time, though, she didn't cry or dwell on the death; this time, she reflected on the cause for the chaos. That little thing that had sparked it all. She smiled. It seemed like such a silly thought, that this one thing had caused so much to happen. And yet…

In love, they had celebrated in jubilation.

"_I wouldn't marry anyone else."_

In love, they had suffered and struggled to their feet in anguish.

"_Yes, I can make it."_

And just like that, just like he'd said, she would get up on her feet, too. It was just a matter of getting a good kick in the ribs.

"Figuratively speaking, of course," she said aloud with a laugh, running a hand over her stomach.

* * *

A/N: For some reason, the need to write that Fire Nation scene was too nagging to ignore. It makes me sad and happy at the same time. The engagement was just pure fluff, simple as that. :D 

Also, I might write about Toph's stay in the Ice Cell, because I know exactly how it went and what she did and the things she did to keep herself entertained. If I get around to it, it will be called "_Toph On Ice_", so look out for it if you're a Toph fan.


	7. In War

A/N: Chapter seven, which lets you see a little more of Kiyodu than before. Uh... not much to say here... some nice fluff in here... anyway. Here's the chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Happy Reading!

* * *

Chapter Seven – In War

The war had taken over a hundred years to end. The Avatar had entered the war a hundred years in, and it had taken less than a year to end after he showed up.

But the Avatar had not achieved this outstanding goal on his own. Oh no, not at all. He had help from willing people all over the world, but the vast majority of aid came from a simple enough source: his friends.

"_Come on, guys! Move!" Aang yelled out to the troops, pointed in the direction of the Fire Nation soldiers, then ducked behind an Earthbended wall of stone. Three other people stood next to him, all with grave faces. "This is it, guys."_

"_The end," whispered Sokka, fingering the blade of his machete. His boomerang hung at his side, ready for action. _

_Katara and Aang shared a significant, sad look, and the next thing she knew, the four of them had come together in a bone-crushing hug. A tear rolled down her cheek and she wiped it away, trying to be strong. _

"_Don't lose focus out there," Aang warned. "You all know what you have to do, right?" The group nodded. "Okay." He took a deep breath. "Let's go."_

_Toph and Sokka headed out together, closely followed by Aang. But Katara, at the last moment, grabbed the Avatar's wrist. He spun around, anxiety etched all over his young face. _

"_What is it?" he asked, concerned._

_Katara clenched her hands, as if to gain strength. Finally, she spoke. "Aang, if we die today, I just wanted you to know…" she broke off._

_Aang, always the naïve one, tiled his head to the side and furrowed his brows. "You want me to know what?"_

_Instead of answering, she took a step forward and kissed him on the mouth, hard. Her voice was barely above a whisper, but it was clear and strong through her small bout of tears. "I love you."_

_Aang blinked. They had been 'together' for a few weeks now, but neither of them had ever exchanged the important words that had just left her mouth. After a few moments of staring, he leaned in and kissed _her_ this time, and broke off only to whisper, "I love you, too."_

As she walked down the streets of the marketplace with Toph, Katara's stare was blank. Momo, who was perched on Toph's shoulder, made a purring noise and leapt into Katara's basket of fruit, where he helped himself to a peach. This brought the Waterbender back to reality.

"Momo! Momo, don't eat that!" she scolded, and Momo leapt out of the basket to hide behind Toph where she couldn't reach him.

"What's the matter, Katara?" Toph asked in a bored voice. "The merchant gave us a bargain on the fruit anyway."

"Charity," Katara mumbled. "Always charity for the widowed wife of the Avatar, isn't that right?"

Toph shrugged. "Hey, I'm not complaining about the food. You know how Sokka eats." A small smile crossed her face, fleeting and innocent. Katara didn't miss it.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right," she said. She wouldn't come straight out and voice her suspicions, but she would test them well enough. "Besides, I'm pretty sure that he mentioned something about Suki paying a visit sometime soon before she goes back to the Island."

A distinct scowl crossed the Blind Bandit's face, but she got rid of it soon enough and said nothing in response. Katara smiled knowingly and didn't push the subject. Besides, a different something caught her eye at the moment.

It was a group of kids, standing in a cluster; they were all watching Katara and Toph as they walked down the road with Momo at their heels.

"Sympathy stares," murmured Katara without moving her lips much.

"Where?"

"To my right."

Sympathy stares. Toph knew how much Katara was irked by them. "You want me to send them flying, or what?"

Shaking her head, Katara replied, "No. Don't bother – they're just kids anyway, and staring's not a crime."

Toph sighed. "I miss causing trouble," she said wistfully. "It was relaxing. The last person I Earthbended was Sokka, and that was nothing."

Again, Sokka seemed to enter the conversation with casualness, but Katara knew better at this point. The thought both cheered her up and brought her down because of the conflict it caused, but she said nothing in response. Toph took it simply as one of Katara's lapses into space and sighed in malcontent.

-

When the women arrived at home, Katara saw that Sokka and Kiyodu had managed to do absolutely nothing. The pair was sitting on the couch – sprawled lazily, was a better description – and appeared to be doing nothing more than having a conversation. Raising her eyebrows, Katara set the basket on the floor and put her hands on her hips.

"Why hello, boys," she said airily. "What constructive things have you done today?"

Simultaneously both Sokka and Kiyodu brought a hand to their mouths and picked their teeth with their pinky nails, as if bored.

"Nothing," they said at the same time.

Katara almost smiled. Instead, she sighed, picked up the basket, and headed towards the kitchen with Toph at her heels. "Well I guess you two are too busy doing nothing to help me put this stuff away, then," she said in an overdramatic, 'oh well' sort of voice.

"Yeah," they said.

"And if that's the case," Katara continued, "then you two must also be too busy to have some of the food I got at the market."

The reaction was instant. Sokka and Kiyodu exchanged wide-eyed looks, leapt up, and ran over to assist Katara.

"Let me take that for you, Mother," Kiyodu said in an over-respectful voice.

"My dear Toph, you must be tired of carrying that basket," Sokka said in the same tone as the eight-year-old, bending over and plucking the basket of food out of Toph's hands. She scowled.

Kiyodu carried the basket and set it down on the table, then turned around and grinned. "Uncle Sokka's teaching me how to be aloof."

Katara shot her brother a glare. "Great," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "I've always wanted my children to be aloof."

The young boy missed the sarcasm and grinned. In a flash, he was across the room and opening the door. Momo snaked past him and outside. "I'm going out back to talk to Appa," he announced, snatching up his staff. "Call me when dinner's ready."

With that, he darted out the door with the speed of an Airbender. The three adults stood in silence for a moment until Toph announced that Kiyodu had fallen. Katara, knowing that he was probably fine, crossed the room and peered out the window. And sure enough, Kiyodu was climbing to his feet and brushing himself off. Then he caught sight of Momo and began chasing him around the yard.

Katara laughed. Kiyodu was Airbending prodigy, but one with a short attention span. Back when Aang was first teaching him how to Airbend, both of them had had a hard time keeping on track with the lesson. Kiyodu was interested in two specific things: flying and learning the Air Scooter. And, of course, Aang had been only too happy to show him.

_The sound of laughter coming from the back yard snagged Katara's attention away from making dinner. She swept across the kitchen and opened the window, then looked out. A smile spread onto her face – it was not a happy smile, per se, but rather a contented one. Aang had evidently taught a six-year-old how to conjure an Air Scooter, because they were both riding them around the yard and howling with laughter._

_What a family she had. It was like having two children rather than a husband and one child. Yes, her family was a strange one. How could it not be, with people like Sokka, Toph, and Suki around? She leaned her elbows on the windowsill and balanced her chin on her hands with a goofy grin. _

_Aang looked up from the rapid circles he and Kiyodu were doing in the yard and, when he saw Katara watching him, gave her a wide, toothy grin. Seeing as he wasn't paying attention to where he was going, Kiyodu and he collided in the middle of the yard, yelled out, and went flying backwards. Katara gasped in surprise and covered her hands with her mouth, but was relieved when the two males sat up, looked at each other, and laughed._

"_Wanna try it again, Dad?" the young boy asked in an enthusiastic, squeaky voice._

_Aang laughed. "Let's do it!" he said, shooting Katara a quick glance. "If you keep it up like this, maybe you can earn your arrows in a year or two." It was his way of telling his son that he could master Airbending in a few years. The term "earn your arrows" had been invented by Sokka, by accident._

_Kiyodu gasped in excitement. "Really? Really, Dad?" he jumped up, whooped, and conjured up another Air Scooter. "Come on, let's get going!"_

_Smiling, Katara closed the window. What a family; it was like living a dream._

Once Kiyodu disappeared into the stable where Appa liked to stay, Katara turned around and looked at her two best friends. Sokka offered a small, reassuring smile to his sister, sensing that she was going through a lapse of sadness associated with the memories that tended to flit through her mind. Toph kept her head down and said nothing.

"So, guys, how about we do something?" asked Katara, trying to get the pair to stop worrying about her.

"Ah, sorry," Sokka apologized, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. "I'm meeting Suki for lunch. Uh… you wanna come?"

"No, that's alright," said Katara, "Me and Toph'll think up something to do, right Toph?"

Toph shifted. "Actually, I told Fancy Feet that I'd go over a few general Bending routines with him."

Katara's smile waned. "Oh, okay. I have some stuff to do anyway," she said. This was a lie, but Toph didn't point that out; she hadn't needed to.

An awkward silence ensued. Sokka averted his eyes guiltily and Toph kept standing there. She, Katara, thought that she might go crazy if she didn't break the tension, so she gave a phony yawn and headed towards the door to her room. "I'll be in my room if anybody needs me."

On that note, she left the room. Before she was out of earshot, though, she heard Sokka mutter to Toph, "She's getting worse."

Katara didn't stop walking because Toph would know, but she whispered a reply under her breath as she walked – a reply that Toph murmured at the same time: "I know."

And that was true. She'd tried everything from packing away Aang's belongings to refraining from saying his name in conversation, but all the while that same something kept welling up inside her at moments when she least expected it, like when she took a quick glimpse at Kiyodu or when she did little things that she used to do with Aang.

It seemed, however, that the only way to progress with life was to pack away everything, including her memories, and think only about the future. Hypocritical? Possibly. But the situation was different than when she told Aang not to hide away his feelings. She was at war with herself, her family, and possibly with some Fire Nation rebels.

Seven months had passed and still she had received no word of any development. Each morning Sokka went to 'work', which was the same 'job' that he and Aang had had since the end of the war. They worked on a committee of sorts, working out the kinks between the nations and using the Avatar as a peace device. It was no easy feat. Sometimes Aang would return home so tired and overworked that he would go straight to bed without eating. Times like these were almost frightening for Katara, who remembered all too well the results of Aang's stay in the Fire Nation hold.

_"How is he doing?" Sokka sounded nervous, regardless of his attempts at seeming collected._

_Katara looked up and frowned. "Not very good," she answered. "Can you bring me some more water?" she asked._

_Sokka nodded, picked up the empty bucket, and headed over to the river. Toph sat on the ground a few feet away with her arms wrapped around her knees. She was clearly uncomfortable with the situation, but was making a valiant attempt at helping in any way that she could._

_When Sokka returned with the water, Katara stuck a cloth in it, wrung it out, and used a bit of Waterbending to form ice crystals on the surface. She placed the iced cloth gently on the sleeping Avatar's brow._

_Toph let go of her knees and clambered to her feet in order to kneel down beside Katara. "He's still shivering," she said. "Worse than before."_

_Katara nodded in confirmation. "I know," she said. "He's getting worse. I don't know what –"_

_She broke off when Aang gave a pathetic groan and made an attempt to roll onto his side. He failed and flopped back onto his back. Sokka let out a long breath._

_"If he doesn't get some food in him soon, he could die," he said. Katara knew this already, but didn't inform her brother of this. Aang had had little to eat in the days after their breakout from the Fire Nation hold, and had fallen ill to the point where he was no longer conscious for long enough to eat, never mind able to hold what he did eat down._

_"I know," she replied. "Should I try again?"_

_Sokka nodded, and she peeled away the blanket that she had put over Aang. He was still so thin that she didn't want to look at his bare chest, but forced herself to in order to make an attempt at lowering his temperature._

_With the wave of her hand, a small amount of water came from the bucket and settled in her palm. Katara put the water on his chest and pressed down gently, just enough to bend the water into something that she could heal with._

_At first, it seemed to work. Aang gasped and his eyes closed tighter than before, a frown deepening on his face. Katara placed her hand on his forehead where the cloth wasn't covering any skin and sighed. It didn't seem to have worked. She looked up at Sokka with weary eyes._

_"I don't know what to do," she said in a small voice._

_"What __can we do?" Sokka replied, shrugging. "It has to fight itself. We're in some woods in the middle of the Fire Nation; there's nobody around, and if there was, they probably wouldn't help us anyway."_

_He was right. Katara ran a hand over the top of the Avatar's head, which was covered with a stupid-looking half-inch of hair, since he wasn't allowed to have anything sharp in the Fire Nation hold._

_"He's right," Toph stated. "There's nothing we can do but wait."_

_And wait they did. Through the night, Katara sat by Aang's side and waited for the fever to break. Around three in the morning was when the fever reached its peak; Aang became delusional, called Toph "Earth King Zuko", and began thrashing around. The worst was of it was when he began Bending involuntarily. It was nothing too serious – he didn't go into the Avatar State or anything like that – but it was after he almost took out Sokka's eye with a rock that Toph was forced to Earthbend some restraints on his hands, legs, and one across his chest._

_A few hours later, he came around for the first time – though, admittedly, he didn't know where he was. Toph had been elsewhere, trying to sleep, and Sokka had gone out to get some food. Katara herself had been dozing, her head falling onto one side, and then the sound of his stirring brought her back to life._

_He opened his eyes and looked at her worried face. "Where am I?" he asked in a weak voice. "How – how long have I been in that iceberg?"_

_Katara almost smiled. "You're not in the South Pole, Aang," she said gently. "It's been a long time since then. How do you feel?"_

_He tried to move, but the restraints held him down. He took several deep breaths. "I can't move," he whispered._

_"I know," she answered. "Toph put some restraints on you because you were doing some Bending."_

_A fleeting look of worry crossed his pale face. "Did I hurt anybody?"_

_"No, everything's fine."_

_Sighing, Aang relaxed, closed his eyes for a few moments, and then looked up at her again. He managed a weak smile. "Good," he said quietly. Both were silent for a few moments. "I'm tired."_

_This time Katara did smile. "I'll bet you are," she answered. She placed a hand on his forehead, noted that his body seemed cooler than before, and rested the backs of her fingers on the side of his face. He smiled another small smile at her touch and closed his eyes. "Get some sleep, Aang," she whispered. "You're going to be alright."_

_For a few seconds she thought that he had fallen asleep, but he muttered something that she almost missed: "I want to tell you something." She raised her eyebrows. "Out there, in that place," he continued; it seemed to be hard for him to speak, "You kept me going. It was – it was you. I've always liked you, Katara," he finished. A grimace flashed across his face and his breath caught, but his moment of pain passed. "Since almost the beginning."_

_Two tears welled up in her eyes and she let them fall, smiling to herself. "I know," she whispered. "I know."_

Katara stopped in the doorway of her room and let out a long sigh. She had to push these memories away – if she wanted to do something constructive with her life, at least – but a part of her didn't want to let go. She pushed the memory away and focused on the present: her empty-looking room, her even emptier-looking bed… it wasn't helping her much.

_Stop that, _she scolded herself, _thinking about him is not going to bring him back, no matter what you want. Focus on the now, the present. You're seven months pregnant and Aang's seven months dead. Put them away, the feelings, and get a move on!_

And for some reason, not for the first time, she was truly torn. She stood in the doorway with her hands on either of the wooden supports, and somehow it seemed as if her next step would determine her future. If she took a step backwards, she would have to admit what she was feeling and acknowledge those feelings. But if she stepped forward it would be a whole new setting. New life, new feelings, new memories… new Katara. It was an internal war.

With one last deep breath, Katara picked up her foot and hesitantly stepped into her bedroom.

* * *

A/N: So there it is. We've got a few firsts today: first confession, first 'I love you'. Hope you liked it! 


	8. In Death

A/N: A shorter chapter than usual, but here it is.

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Happy Reading!

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Chapter Eight – In Death

New Katara lived a simplistic lifestyle. Like the old Katara, she mostly stayed at home with Kiyodu and worked when she wanted to, but the new Katara ignored pity stares, never thought about her husband – _oh, was I married?_ – and liked doing house chores. Sokka, baffled at this new and daunting version of his sister, asked her if she was feeling okay, but she claimed that she was perfectly fine.

"Everything is perfect," she said happily. Then she caught sight of a small hole in the sleeve of Sokka's shirt. "Oh, do you want me to sew that up for you?"

Sokka stared. "Uh, no. I don't think so," he said hesitantly, covering the rip with his hand. "…uh… you wanna take a walk?"

A smile came to Katara's face. "Sure!" she exclaimed. "Hold on while I get my coat."

It wasn't even cold outside, and the old Katara used to love taking walks in the warmth of the sun. When she came out of her room with her coat slung over her arm, she saw that Kiyodu stood beside Sokka with his staff in his hand and a grin on his face. Kiyodu's head reached only to Sokka's waist, but he was growing fast.

"Arrowhead wants to come," Sokka announced, flicking Kiyodu's ear affectionately. Kiyodu winced, clapped a hand over his ear, and sent a death glare at his Uncle.

"That's fine," Katara replied, still with a mechanically cheerful smile. She looked out the window. "It's a nice day for a walk. Let's go."

She headed out the door and missed the confused look that the men shared behind her back.

Yes, the day was nice enough. The sun was warm and people were bustling about with their everyday lives. One kid went running by with a friend – actually, it looked as if the girl was pulling the boy along as they ran – and they disappeared into a house. Katara smiled. The couple reminded her of she and Aang back when –

_No_

Okay, never mind that. Focus on something else. She looked at her brother, who stood tall and strong by her side like a man. He looked more or less the same as after the war first ended, as did she. Toph and Aang, too, only they both grew like weeds in the years following The Day of Black Sun. Katara was still a head and a half shorter than Sokka, but Toph was hardly an inch shorter than she. And once both of them had stopped growing, Aang was a head taller than Katara, and –

_Again. No._

Katara shook her head to clear her mind and watched as Kiyodu ran along a few paces in front with Momo on his head. As they went, he greeted people with his beaming grin and people replied with a small smile or a friendly "Hello Kiyodu, how are you?" Everybody knew who he was. After all, he _was_ the son of the late Avatar. People gave Katara and Sokka the polite smiles as well, though some of them were tinged with sadness. Katara ignored the sadness and greeted the people as if the world were perfect.

And it was, wasn't it? Wasn't it?

"Yes," she said.

Sokka turned to her. "What?"

She smiled. "Nothing, Sokka. Just talking to myself."

He raised his eyebrows at her and said, "Alrighty then. Continue on with your conversation."

She laughed, though it didn't sound real to either of them. Sokka looked forward again, towards Kiyodu.

"Look at him," said Sokka. "He's just like Aang. It's weird, isn't it?"

Yes, it was weird, but she wasn't about to bring Aang into the conversation. "I don't know," she lied in a considering voice. "He seems to be his own person to me." If Kiyodu had been any more like his father, they might as well have been the same person.

Sighing, Sokka turned again to his sister. "Are you alright?" he asked. "You seem awfully… chipper."

Katara gave her brother another reassuring smile. "Of course I'm chipper!" she defended herself. "What's not to be chipper about?"

Sokka dropped his caution. "Should I get my list or recite from memory?"

Her smile wavered for the first time. "Really, Sokka, don't worry about it." _It_. _It_ just implied that she knew what he was talking about. _It_ meant Aang. _It_ meant that she wasn't over _it_ yet, which meant that the memories would come flooding back if she didn't put her mental barrier back into place.

"I just worry about you, little sister," he said sternly.

"Don't," she replied. "I can take care of myself."

He pointed to her bulging stomach. "Yes, but can you take care of _that_?"

The Avatar. She'd found out that she was pregnant when Aang had come to her in the premonition, but she'd had suspicions a few days prior. Then she'd been excited, though she'd tried not to seem suspicious until she was sure; another child! Kiyodu, while he had been stressful and whatnot, had been nothing to regret. She had wondered then if the new child would be a Bender. Nothing would have pleased her more than having a young Waterbender in the family.

And she'd gotten a Bender, all right.

Turning away from Sokka, Katara put both of her hands over her belly and held her head in high dignity. "I can, thank you. And I intend to." A moment later, after realizing that she had let her happy exterior down, added, "Nice, day, isn't it?"

Sokka grumbled something about insanity and turned his head away. Katara grimaced.

-

"Where's Toph?"

"Oh, is it my turn to watch her? Sorry."

Her brother's bitterness almost made her wince. Instead, she shrugged it off and walked over to a counter, where she plucked a papaya out of the fruit basket that Momo liked to snatch fruit from. When Sokka was turned, she snatched his knife from the holster on his waist. He spun around.

"Hey!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing with that?" Smiling, Katara turned her back on him and cut her fruit in half with his knife. He gaped and crossed his arms, offended. "You're using my weapon to cut your _fruit_?"

"You washed it, I hope?" Katara asked casually.

"Yes," he said, then peered over her shoulder. "Papaya? You _hate_ papaya!"

She shrugged. "No, I don't," she snapped.

"Oh really?"

"Yes."

"Then face me and take a bite," he ordered hotly, crossing his arms. A knowing smirk turned in the corners of his mouth, and she knew that he was right.

Nevertheless, she turned to him with half of the papaya in her hand, raised it to her mouth, and took a big bite. She proceeded to gag and run for the garbage to spit out the fruit. Sokka howled with laughter.

"I knew it!" he exclaimed. "I knew it!" He did a little dance in place, then grew somber again and gave Katara a searching look. "Hey wait a second – why were you eating papaya?"

Bending over the garbage with the papaya still in her hand, Katara closed her eyes. She dropped the fruit onto the counter so Momo could have it, turned her face to the ceiling, and closed her eyes. She looked like she were praying for tranquility, but she was wondering how to make it seem all right. When she faced him, a serene smile was plastered on her face.

"Sokka, is it a crime to try new food?" she asked.

"No," replied Sokka slowly. He and Katara stared at each other in silence. "But it's not about the food, is it? It's about Aang, isn't it?" Always the observant one, Sokka was.

She tried the smile again, but it was strained. "Of course not, Sokka."

He strode up to her and grasped her shoulders with his strong hands. His face, which was usually sarcastic or amused, was now full of concern. "Why are you doing this, Katara?" he asked sternly. "Why are you trying to forget Aang and everything – everything you've ever known?"

Katara's expression became hard then. She looked Sokka straight in the eye and said in a low, harsh voice, "I will _never_ forget. I'm just trying to live again."

The next thing she knew, her voice had broken and she was crying into an alarmed Sokka's chest. He patted her on the back with some uncertainty, then finally hugged her in return. She felt him draw a deep, shuddery breath, and a tear that was not her own landed on her cheek. After a minute, she pulled back and sniffled in embarrassment. Sokka used his sleeve to wipe his eyes.

Katara looked at him with a calm that she had not felt in a long time. Perhaps all she'd needed was some comfort, some consolation. Having that now made her feel almost… daring. But daring enough to ask the question?

"Sokka, tell me about what happened – that day," she said quietly, wiping a tear from her eye.

It seemed ridiculous, but she still didn't know the details of her own husband's death. She had purposely refrained from asking for months now, but this seemed to be a good time to have a talk. If there ever was a good time to talk about the death of a loved one.

One deep breath later, Sokka asked, "Do you really want to talk about it?"

She averted her eyes and nodded. They sat down in the neighboring room with a pot of tea and two cups, one for each of them. The tension was great, but not awkward in the slightest. Neither felt awkward, but both felt afraid; Katara could tell this just by watching her brother pour his tea with a shaking hand.

He settled into his tea with his back against the wall and sighed. "We were sitting at lunch," he began. Katara crossed her legs and sat upright, listening intently. "One of the guards came in – he was bleeding and Aang tried to help him. The guy died right there, but he managed to tell us that a band of Fire Nation rebels had come for the Avatar. We ran out to help and got caught up in a fight." He took a sip of his tea, but didn't seem to enjoy it; he put it down on the table and nervously ran his hand over his head. "They were outnumbered, but they didn't want to go down. I guess it was just the usual, if there can be a usual; they were yelling about Azula and Ozai and all that.

"We kept on fighting them, but our men kept getting beaten. Aang saw a group of the rebels break off and head for the palace, so we followed them. We cornered them in an alley and that's when – when it happened." Sokka took his time in collecting himself before going on. Katara sat in a frightened silence, knowing that the story ended in death, but wondering how death came about.

"We were outnumbered by then; it was the two of us verses twenty of them. Aang was trying to talk to them, trying to make some sort of agreement – you know how he doesn't attack unless there's no other choice – and when his back was turned, one of them… he used a _knife_…. And I saw it coming!" Sokka sat up straight suddenly and stared at his sister with fierce anger. "I yelled out, but nothing. I tried to stop him, but I – I couldn't. I was _right there_!"

He gave a frustrated yell and banged his fist down on the table with force enough to knock over his teacup. The liquid ran down the table and spilled onto the floor, but Katara didn't stop it. She was frozen where she sat, staring, transfixed, at Sokka with an expression of mingled horror and grief. So _this_ was the death of the Avatar? After everything, Aang had been taken down by one man who may not have even had Bending abilities! The thought was ridiculous and angering. She had learned from Sokka the power of non-Benders, but against Aang? Against the _Avatar_?

Katara could almost see the picture in her mind, almost hear her brother call out in alarm, almost see her husband's expression. Had he fallen to his knees? She didn't ask. That sort of detail would probably make her sick.

During her thoughts, Sokka had buried his face in his hands. He wasn't crying, though he seemed to be stuck in a bout of shame. With a shaking hand, Katara reached across the table and gently touched his arm. He didn't budge.

"It's not your fault, Sokka," she whispered. "It happened, it's over, and it's time to move on with our lives."

He looked up from his hands and gave her a 'speak for yourself' look. Sighing, Katara Bended the tea off the floor and put it back in the teacup, which she turned right side-up. This sort of silence seemed to be best at the moment, where both of them could mull over their stories and their thoughts. Yes, Katara had given up her upsetting duty of pushing Aang away instead of embracing his memory, and Sokka seemed a little bit better now that he had finally retold his story.

Katara folded her hands on the table and averted her eyes to the ceiling. So Aang was dead. Not exactly new news, but it still had a bit of a new ring to it. Now that she knew how he had died, it seemed a bit easier to accept for some reason. Before, it had been as if he just went off to do his Avatar-ly duties and never came home, but an alibi seemed to help. Of course, she would have preferred that he died in his sleep rather than be stabbed in the back – literally – but that couldn't be helped.

"We know he's okay now," she said.

Finally dropping his hands, Sokka furrowed his brows. "What are you talking about?"

She brushed her hair loop away from her eyes with two fingers and folded her hands back on the table. "When he came to me and told me about the new Avatar, he seemed fine. He was wearing that same brown monk thing that he left the house in that morning and he didn't have a big knife sticking out of his back," she offered hopefully.

"That's because I pulled it out," Sokka replied dryly.

Katara winced, but, to her surprise, no tears came to her eyes. _Wow_, she thought, _this 'let your emotions show' _thing really does work.

"Oh…" she trailed off. "Well, there wasn't a gaping hole in his back," she said, raising her eyebrows. "And no blood. I think I would have noticed blood if there was any."

With a shrug, Sokka helped himself to his freshly fixed tea; his appetite seemed to have returned with the news that Aang hadn't been bleeding semi-existent blood all over the floor. A small smile dared to play on her lips; few things could keep Sokka from his true love: food.

Not even death.

* * *

A/N: Okay, I have a few little notes to add to wrap this chapter up

- I know it was a little fast-paced

- The lack of memories saddens me

- As does the ending to the chapter. I tried different ways to end it because I don't like to end on a sad note (with the exception of the first chapter) and this was the only one that worked.

- This chapter was shorter than usual, and could be looked as as a filler chapter if you want to look at it that way. It's really just a development of Katara's acceptance of Aang's death and a better look at the relationship of Sokka and Katara. They've both grown up, but their characters remain more or less the same. Sokka always sort of wanted to talk about that day, but he never thought it would be the right thing to do until asked, so now he's got all that off his chest.


	9. In Life

A/N: I saw "Zuko Alone" for the first time yesterday, and was pleasantly surprised to see that the episode had a similar layout to this story. xD

I figured out how to make my computer read to me. That way I can hear what it sounds like (except for some serious name mispronunciations) in a funny monotone voice. It makes me laugh _and_ it helps me edit!

Here's a memory-packed chapter for you awesome people!

Disclaimer: I own nothing D:

Happy Reading!

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Chapter Nine – In Life

Had she always been destined to marry Aang? Katara had always asked herself this after their marriage, and even beforehand. The memory of the fortuneteller telling her that she would marry a powerful Bender was hard to forget, but how legitimate had her prediction been? After all, Aang had confessed to her that Aunt Wu had found nothing for him in the prediction of his love life, yet he had gotten married and had a family for eight years before he died. So what did that mean? She remembered when the realization clicked in, when Sokka commented on how powerful of a Bender Aang really was, and that was the moment when she first wondered.

No, she had not been all that oblivious of Aang's feelings toward her. For the most part she had ignored such feelings and advances, mostly because she thought that nothing should get in the way of Aang saving the world. To her, Aang must never be more than a little brother, never more than the kid that she liked to hug and talk to (but especially hug). And besides, at the age of fourteen she had been easily infatuated with boys. There had been Jet – a mistake if there ever was one – and several others that she had felt _something_ for, but never what she felt for Aang. He was, and had always been, special.

Of course, even through her obstinate determination not to get involved, she hadn't been above occasional flirtatious behavior. For instance, right before they met the group that they lead through the Serpent's Pass, she had rung out her hair in a semi-seductive fashion. Drying her hair could have easily been done with Waterbending, but she did so enjoy the glance she caught in her peripheral vision from a certain Avatar. She'd caught a lot of sidelong glances, except for on that last day of battle. Then there had been no time for even a glance.

Katara remembered that last battle. She didn't particularly like thinking about the battle itself, but one part stood out in her mind. At one point in all the fighting, Aang had taken on over a dozen Firebenders on his own. She'd watched as he had taken a deep breath and

_I can see that he is a very powerful Bender_

exhaled a breath with a force that knocked down

_a very powerful Bender_

a dozen of the Fire Nation soldiers. Aang had landed on his feet and taken a second large breath, but this one had been for himself – a meditating breath, she thought it must have been. This breath stayed with her for some reason; it was like the breath of life itself. One of the many breaths that he had taken, and what could have easily been his last.

-

Kiyodu strolled into the room with his staff in one hand. His step was like Aang's – light – but with Sokka's air of confidence. He was whistling that same nameless song that Sokka whistled when he was in a good mood, and that itself was enough to rouse suspicion. Katara, with one eyebrow skeptically arched, watched her son cross the room. He continued to walk as if she weren't there.

"You look happy."

Startled out of his semi-trance, Kiyodu jumped and dropped his staff. "Uh, hi mom," he stammered. "I'm going into town to – to meet Uncle Sokka. Is that okay?"

Katara's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "I suppose so. But why would you want to go there? It's boring work." Actually, the work was quite exciting. She herself had been to many meetings back during the main part of the war.

"Well, I just wanted to see what Dad used to do," said Kiyodu, his voice suddenly quiet.

Katara understood now; he didn't want to make her sad. It was a very considerate thought, she mused, especially for a child of almost nine. She would make him feel better.

"Go ahead," she replied. Then, with a small smile, she added, "Tell Sokka not to be late for dinner."

With a nod, Kiyodu snatched his staff up off the floor and darted out of the house. Katara, grinning, went back to her sewing. Besides the little Sokka-like habits that Kiyodu had picked up, he had an uncanny likeness to Aang. Similar appearance, similar monk-ish traditions, same naïve nervousness. Aang had always been a bundle of nerves when it came to Katara in a more-than-friendly manner.

_Sometimes when the weather was just right, Katara felt like sitting in the shade and reading. Today just happened to be that sort of day; the sun was high in the sky, the breeze slight and gentle, and the air was borderline dry. But not only was it the perfect day to read – it was also Aang's thirteenth birthday. He hadn't told anybody, but she had heard him talking to Appa about it early in the morning, when she had been snuggled up in her sleeping bag with Sokka's loud snores as a lullaby. Of course, she intended to eventually wish him a happy birthday, but a part of her wondered if he would bring it up, so she nurtured this curiosity and remained silent._

_Katara dug through one of the bags and eventually resurfaced with one of the library scrolls. She'd read this one about a million times – it was a fascinating scroll on solar eclipses – but she never grew tired of studying it with hope that she might learn something new. _

_Aang was Airbending a small ball for Momo to chase around, though his expression was thoughtful. Sokka was wading up to his knees in the river, trying to catch a fish while Toph lay, spread-eagled, on a flat rock by the water. He suddenly stuck his hand in the water and pulled out a fish. It wriggled out of his grasp, flew backwards, and hit Toph in the face. A verbal fight broke out between the two. Katara decided that she wouldn't be able to concentrate with the yelling, and since breaking them up would do no good she walked into the woods to find a better, quieter place to read._

_A snapping twig caused her to look up from the scroll. It was Aang, looking less than happy and – could it be? – a little nervous. She gave him a smile and turned her eyes back to her reading. Moments later, she heard him sit down beside her._

"_Hey Katara," he said._

"_Hey Aang," she said._

"_Can I talk to you for a second?" he asked._

"_Sure, Aang," she replied, letting the bottom of the scroll go. When she looked up, she saw the slightest of blushes on his face. Her heart began beating a little faster. "Is something wrong?" Maybe he was going to tell her about his birthday._

_He stood up and began pacing a few feet in front of her. "No," he answered. "I just wanted to talk about – about what I said when I was sick."_

_The corners of her mouth turned down a little. Aang had said plenty of odd things when he was sick, but she had a feeling that calling Toph "Earth King Zuko" wasn't what he wanted to discuss. By the sound of it, he was going to tell her that he had been delusional when he had told her about his feelings for her. It had been only days since that time – he still seemed to have some cold symptoms – and a small (large) part of Katara had been hoping that he had meant what he had said. About her, at least. She set the scroll on the ground and stood up. He stopped pacing._

"_Okay," she said in a small voice. _

_He gave her a nervous, embarrassed glance and began talking. "I know I'm just a kid, and I understand if you just think of me as a friend, or if you wanted someone a little taller, like Haru or – or even like Jet. I understand. I just wanted you to know that I…" he broke off and looked away. A sadness began creeping into Katara. He was about to tell her that he had been delusional, and that he didn't mean anything that he'd said. It was probably better that they weren't together anyway – _

"…_I meant what I said about you. Every word."_

_All Katara's internal protests, worries and fears were suddenly swept away in a wave of, well, something. She smiled. She couldn't quite put her finger on what it was, but it was quite possibly the most amazing thing she'd ever felt._

_But evidently her silence had lasted longer than she'd thought, because Aang hung his head and sighed. "It's okay," he muttered, "I understand."_

_When he began walking away, her thoughts slammed back to the present. She reached out and grabbed his shoulder, and he spun around. _

"_Hey wait!" she exclaimed. "Where're you going?"_

_He lowered his eyes back to the ground. "It's _okay_, Katara," he insisted._

_Laughing, she replied, "I didn't even say anything!"_

"_You don't need to."_

"_Oh, but I do." _

_Aang looked up, startled. Instead of saying anything else, Katara threw her arms around his neck and delivered a tight embrace. She heard him gasp slightly, then felt him hug her back with equal gusto. When she pulled away, she saw that embarrassed, goofy grin that he always wore._

"_Aang…" she started, but realized that she didn't really know what to say. He, too, seemed to be in a similar position. She took a hesitant step forward, forcing him to take a step back. Her hands still on his shoulders, she took another step forward and he took another step back, confused, until his back bumped against a tree. It was like the most awkward dance in the world._

"_What are you doing?" he asked._

"_Relax," she replied, giving his shoulders a reassuring squeeze. He attempted to do so; his tense frame loosened a bit and he let the tree support some of his weight. Katara knew what she was doing, even if he didn't. Her heart began hammering in her chest again; it weren't as if she'd never done it before, but it had been different in the cave. Now there was none of that "pressure for survival" stuff. No excuses, just him and her. And it terrified her. By the look on his face, he was feeling something along the same lines. _

_Heart still beating a symphony in her chest, she leaned forward, eyes closed, and brushed her lips against his – hardly more than a touch, but it was enough to make them both grin like idiots at one another._

"_It's much different than in the cave," he said, blushing crimson. He looked down at their feet and sighed – what kind of sigh it was, though, she couldn't tell. "I like it better this way," he mumbled._

"_Me too," she answered, stepping forward to lessen the space between them. _

_Katara felt his hands, which had been lying dormant at his sides, come up and rest on her waist. She could feel that he was trembling. A small laugh escaped her._

"_Don't be nervous," she said, smiling. _

"_Speak for yourself," Aang retorted, grinning sheepishly. "I can _feel_ you shaking."_

_Blushing furiously, heart dancing, mind reeling, she got even closer to him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and leaned in for the kill._

"_Happy birthday, Aang," she whispered, just before their lips touched, and they kissed. _

Of course, the next morning she had awoken with a nasty cold, though luckily she hadn't fallen into the deep fever that Aang had. While she had found it borderline amusing, Aang had felt rather bad about getting her sick. Sokka, being the ever-observant one, had jokingly accused the two of kissing. Katara had replied that no, they most certainly had _not_ been kissing thank you very much. Behind Sokka, Toph's eyes had widened in surprise when she'd recognized the lie, but she had remained silent. Aang had experienced the sudden urge to visit Appa, and he'd left before Sokka could spot the blush rushing to his face.

Katara, grinning the foolish grin that she had grinned the day of her first _real_ kiss, plucked up a shirt from Sokka's never-ending pile of ripped clothing and began to mend it. Of course, their relationship had not been all fun and games after that, oh no. While Aang had become jubilant enough to arouse Sokka's suspicion, Katara had dealt with a considerable amount of guilt. Now, in the present, her smile faded just a bit.

"We were so stupid," she muttered, though not without grudging affection.

Perhaps they had been stupid, yes, but those first few weeks had been the best days of her life. Much to her surprise, Aang had become far more focused than before during practice sessions. She had assumed that he would spend most of his time daydreaming during lessons with Toph, herself, and eventually Iroh, but his determination seemed to have multiplied. Even when it came time to Firebend again – and he had been so _scared_ to try again – he stepped up to the plate with a focused mind and ready skills. And still, she had felt guilty.

"…_and it's just been making me wonder if…"_

_Aang gave her a confused look. "If _what_, Katara?"_

_She looked away towards the crescent moon. "Well, if I'm holding you back from doing what you were born to do." In the ringing silence that followed, she closed her eyes and let a tear escape down her cheek. Aang scrambled to his knees and crawled around her other side so he could see her face._

"_What are you saying?" he asked, hurt. "You're not holding me back, you're helping me get better!"_

_Hugging her knees tighter to her chest, Katara gave him a sad look and replied, "Are you sure, Aang? Because from what you tell me, you can't go into the Avatar State if we keep this up."_

_Aang flopped backwards and looked up at the sky. The moon cast a silvery glow over his face, bathing them both in a pool of light. "I don't need the Avatar State to win," he said quietly. "The guru said… he said that I need to rid myself of all earthly attachment… but I can't." He sat up. "I don't _want_ to…"_

_Katara looked doubtfully upon the young Avatar. "You can't let me keep you from saving the world, Aang."_

_With a grunt, he rolled up onto his knees and shifted a few feet closer to her. He smiled reassuringly and wiped her tear away with his thumb. "You're not keeping me from saving the world," he said gently, with his same sheepish smile. "You're helping me. And besides, I like having this earthly attachment. It's like having something to work for."_

"Ouch!"

Katara's lack of concentration caused her to prick her finger with her sewing needle. She examined the tiny hole with a professional eye; nothing a minute or two couldn't heal. The shirt, on the other hand, would need a little longer. Somehow Sokka had managed to tear the sleeve almost clean from the shirt. Rolling her eyes in exasperation, she went back to work.

-

Time passed. Eight and a half months after Aang's death, Katara stood in her room and listened to Toph and Sokka's conversation.

"I don't understand. Suki was supposed to be here ten minutes ago. Maybe the weather held her up."

"Or maybe she hates you," Toph offered in a serene voice.

Katara giggled to herself and folded her blanket. Sokka was a true mess over Suki's tardiness, and Toph wasn't doing too much to make him feel better.

"Thanks, Toph. I'll be in my room if anybody needs me." Footsteps ensued, and then the closing of Sokka's bedroom door. Kiyodu was out at the moment with Appa and Momo; probably destroying Appa's shed if she knew him like –

A nastily familiar sensation stole over Katara, causing her to drop the folded blanket to the floor. She swayed and her hands flew to her abdomen and oh no, was it _time_? Panic struck her, not because she was afraid to deliver (and she was, because the only ones available to help her were her squeamish brother and her blind friend), but because this delivery was the most important delivery in the world. Legs shaking, Katara half hobbled, half ran into the kitchen, where Toph was standing.

"What happened?" asked Toph as soon as Katara stopped in the doorway. "You're shaking like there's an earthquake underneath you."

"I'm – it's happening," said Katara. She leaned against the doorframe and put her hands on her stomach. "I think we have some time – _ah!_" With a gasp of pain, she lurched and grabbed the doorframe. Toph's expression was short of horrified. "Nope. No time. Sokka!"

Sokka came running into the room with his machete drawn. "Who's attacking? Is it the rebels?" He stopped when he saw Toph and Katara, neither of whom were being attacked. Dropping his weapon to his side, he made a confused face. "Hey, what gives? You screamed my – uh oh." His eyes landed on his sister, who was clutching to the doorframe for support. He pointed to the room over with his machete. "Well come on, then! Let's get a move on!"

"I don't think I can," began Katara in a strangled voice. "I can't _move_ –"

After staring for a moment, Sokka strode forward, dropped his machete, and scooped Katara up in his arms – she shrieked in surprise – before carrying her into the room over.

"I could really use Suki right about now," Sokka grumbled, then shouted over his shoulder, "Hey Toph, do something useful."

Annoyed by this command, Toph raised her foot as if she were going to collapse the ground beneath Sokka, but seemed to think better of it. She darted off after them.

-

"Where's Suki?" Sokka groaned, pacing the length of the room.

Katara glared at her brother from the mat on the floor. A considerable amount of pain had already come to her, and Sokka was being no help. Normally she would have him go get a nurse or something, but the weather would keep him from getting back in time. Sokka stopped pacing.

"Look, can't you just, uh, find a better time for this? You're half a month early anyway," he said with a hint of hopefulness in his voice. When he received only a glare in response, he turned to Toph. "Hey Toph, _you_ can deliver it, right?"

Toph gave a wide, fake smile. "Oh sure, Sokka," she said, her voice laced with sweet sarcasm. "You can just show me where to reach and I'll pull it right out."

"Hey you two, stop arguing," Katara ordered, wincing. A bout of sweat had begun to drip down her face. "I – need – help!"

Sokka began pacing again, his head in his hands. "I can't do this!" he exclaimed. "Some things are just not made for brothers to do, and this is one of them." A knock came at the door and he stopped pacing, his head turning to the door. "Suki!" he exclaimed, and bolted.

In one fluid motion, he pulled open the door, grabbed Suki's wrist before she could say hello, and pulled her into the house. Katara, from her spot, could see that her clothes were soaked from the rain. Her makeup was running down her face.

"I'm so glad you're here!" said Sokka. "Finally, a woman who can see. Have you ever helped deliver a baby?"

"Uh, sure I have," Suki replied, baffled, looking around. "Sokka, what's going on?"

"Katara's having the baby," he replied. He pointed to his sister. "I don't know what I'm doing."

Suki seemed to catch on rather quickly. She dropped to her knees beside Katara and offered her a reassuring smile. Katara sighed in relief; finally someone who knew what they were doing. And Suki was taking charge, too. She had already given Toph a job and stationed herself in the most convenient position. During this time of organization, Sokka slipped away from Suki and instead went to Katara's side.

"I think I'll just stay over here," he said, and gave Katara a smile. She managed a small smile in return and took her brother's hand for support. "Just, uh, don't forget to breathe and everything should be okay, right?"

Katara gave her brother a fake smile. "I'll keep that in mind." Her voice was not bitter, but full of sarcasm.

"_I think it's time," Katara whispered nervously from where she sat in bed. _

_This got Aang's immediate attention. He sat upright, the white sheets falling down around his waist. In the semi-darkness she could see that his eyes were wide with a mixture of apprehension and excitement. _

"_Really?" he asked._

"_Uh huh."_

_In a flash, Aang leapt out of bed, pulled a shirt on, and opened the window._

"_I'll go and get a nurse," he said, hastily going to his wife's side. "I told them to be expecting us any day now." He smiled a reassuring smile and she suddenly wasn't so afraid. "Don't have the baby without me," he murmured, kissing her gently on the forehead._

_On that note, he snatched up his staff, opened it, and left through the window. _

_A few long, painful hours later, after much encouragement and funny breathing, a perfectly healthy boy was born. _

_Aang looked down at the bundle in Katara's arms with a sort of fascinated joy. Katara, on the other hand, was exhausted beyond all belief, and still she couldn't help but feel elation over this moment; she finally had her own family. A _family

"_I could be wrong," said Aang, "but I think I'm the happiest guy in the whole city – in the world!"_

_Katara smiled at him in response – a weary smile, but a happy one nonetheless – and he kissed her. Then he sat down on the soft ground beside her._

"_It feels like nothing can go wrong," he continued. "It's all so – so perfect. As long as we've got each other, nothing can hurt us."_

And now, as she struggled against her body with Sokka at her side, holding her hand, she felt tears beginning to fall from her eyes. And they were not sparked by the pain (though it wasn't helping her hold them back), but rather by the overwhelming feeling of loss. Was Aang watching her right now from wherever he was? Did he want to be there, be the one holding her hand?

Of course, Sokka mistook her tears for those of pain and tried to console her. "It's okay, Katara, you're almost there… I think."

"He's right, Katara," encouraged Suki in a kind voice. "You're almost there…"

An hour later, Katara found herself in a familiar position. She had another sleeping bundle in her arms and dried tears and sweat on her face. The exhaustion was overwhelming, but a happiness that she had not felt for a long time was also present. Kiyodu tentatively stuck his head in the room and gave his mother a questioning look.

"Is that the Avatar?" he asked, pointing to the bundle.

Katara gave a soft laugh and beckoned her son forward with her free hand. Sokka, Suki, and Toph sat in silence a little bit away. Kiyodu walked across the room and sat down in the very spot that Aang had once occupied.

"Don't think of her as the Avatar," said Katara.

"It's a _her_?"

"Yes."

Kiyodu didn't seem as disappointed as she thought he would be. "What's her name?"

A good question. She hadn't put very much thought into the name until then, and everybody (with the exception of Toph) was watching her.

"I think…" she began, turning her head towards the window. Dusk had fallen on the city, but rain was still thundering outside. The girl would be a natural Waterbender, most likely a near prodigy. Katara wanted the name to have to do with rain and its power, something of a symbol, and still have a soft, gentle connotation. And then she knew.

"Amaya," she said, and turned back to the others in the room. "Her name is Amaya."

"Amaya, huh?" Kiyodu tapped his chin thoughtfully. After a few moments, a smile rose to his face and he nodded at his mother. "Okay. I like that name."

Katara laughed, her heart lighter than it had been in months. Perhaps this was an opportunity to set her life back on track. Perhaps this was a whole new beginning.

* * *

A/n: Okay, so baby is born. That only took 9 chapters :D The memories were, as always, fun to write (especially the kiss). 

And I'd like to mention something that didn't fit into the chapter itself: at one point, Kiyodu walked in, saw what was happening, and walked out again as quickly as possible. That's why he was so tentative when he eventually went into the room.

Also, Amaya means "night rain".


	10. In Time

A/N: The last big chapter before the endy-thing! Don't be confused with the little memory segments that I randomly inserted at the appropriate moments; any long segment in italics is a memory! And yes, I did change the chapter titles. I wanted the theme to go through the entire story, not just the last few chapters. xD

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Happy Reading!

* * *

Chapter Ten – In Time

From the second she set eyes on him, she knew. It was that look that she had seen so many times before, that look that didn't require words to be said. Katara crossed her arms and smirked.

"So who's the lucky girl?"

A thirteen-year-old Kiyodu jumped, dropped his staff in surprise – something he did whenever somebody caught him off guard– and whirled around to face his mother.

"Huh?"

Katara leaned against the door frame and yawned. "You heard me," she said, her eyes narrowed. "I know that look on your face. You have a _crush_, don't you, Kiyodu?"

He blushed and tried to look innocent at the same time. The result was amusing, enough so that Katara burst into a fit of laughter that lured Sokka into the room.

"Did Toph walk into something?" he asked as he came into view. "I _love_ it when she does that. I –" he stopped when he saw the thirteen-year-old with an extremely embarrassed look on his face. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing." The teen's reply was too quick to be taken as the truth. Sokka narrowed his eyes and studied Kiyodu with utmost interest.

Meanwhile, Katara formed a quick plan in her mind. She shot her brother a lazy look and gave him an equally lazy smile.

"You consider yourself to be the 'man' of the house, don't you, Sokka?" she asked in the tone she usually reserved for bribery.

Sokka started a little at being addressed, but recovered and eyed his sister with a smug expression. "Yes, yes I do," he answered in a similar tone to hers, polishing his nails on his shirt. "Why do you ask?"

"Well," she began, "As the man of the house, you have certain fatherly duties, am I right?"

His response took a moment, as he mulled the question over in his mind, looking for some sort of trick. "Uh…I suppose, yeah."

"Good, I have a job for you." She pointed to Kiyodu, who flinched and picked up his staff. "I think it's time for Kiyodu to have a little… _talk_… with the man of the house, Sokka. And, seeing as I don't see Aang coming around any time soon, the man of the house is you." The color drained from Sokka's face. Kiyodu didn't understand what she meant by 'talk'. "What do you say, my_ manly_ brother?"

Instead of answering – perhaps his dignity was at stake – Sokka grabbed Kiyodu by his collar and dragged him off in the direction of the older man's room. Katara chuckled to herself and headed for the kitchen in search of Toph. That had been a whole lot easier than she could have ever hoped.

-

About an hour later, the door to Sokka's bedroom opened and Kiyodu emerged, his face devoid of expression. Katara tried to make a nonchalant, motherly gesture.

"Hey Kiyodu, do you want to –?"

She reached out her arm to stop him, but he veered away almost mechanically, eyes set, and went straight to his room.

"I am the product of disturbing physical contact," he said in a strange monotone. He walked into his bedroom, turned around, and put his hand on the doorknob. "I need some time to think my life over."

With that, he closed the door and the house fell silent. Behind Katara, Toph gave a small laugh of appreciation.

Sokka entered the room next and arched his back in a yawn, sighing contentedly.

"I think that went rather well, don't you?" he asked pleasantly.

Katara, without turning to face her brother, gave him a sidelong stare that screamed skepticism. "Define 'well'," she said in a flat tone.

Sokka shrugged. "Hey, he's taking it better than Aang did, isn't he?"

At this, she couldn't help but give a small giggle. "I suppose so," she agreed, smiling. "I still don't know what you said to Aang, but he wouldn't look me in the eye for a _month_ afterwards."

"It's all part of the plan, Katara," Sokka replied airily, cracking his knuckles. "Now if you don't mind, I have to run to the market to get some meat – not that your kids eat it or anything." Sokka had not been pleased when Amaya had announced that she was going to be a vegetarian like her brother.

("_Another_ vegetarian?" he'd groaned.)

He strolled off, whistling a satisfied tune as he went.

-

-

Thirteen years to the day. In silence Katara had been dreading this day for several reasons. The first reason, and the most obvious, was that Aang had died on this particular day thirteen years ago. It seemed like just yesterday that he was kissing her goodbye with the promise that he would be home for dinner.

"_See you tonight, Katara."_

"_Keep Sokka out of trouble, will you?"_

_Aang beamed at her and adjusted his hood. At the same time, he pulled open the front door, then grabbed his staff._

"_Love you, Aang," added Katara as he turned to the door._

_He stopped in the doorway, turned around, and grinned at her. The next thing she knew, he'd dropped his staff, darted over to where she stood, and picked her up by the waist. Laughing, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him._

"_I love you," he stated, grinning. It was the same grin that he wore when he was a kid. He set her on her feet, kissed her, and said, "I'll be home for dinner; I promise I won't be late."_

_She giggled and waved him off with one hand. "If you're late, I'll feed your dinner to Appa."_

_Aang laughed, picked up his staff, and ran out the door._

The second reason that Katara had been dreading this day was more of a 'here and now' problem. Well, perhaps it was not a problem, per se, but it was something that she both feared and awaited with excitement. Through the morning Sokka had paced around in a state of anxiety, and Katara had donned the necklace that contained the water from the Spirit Oasis, just for good luck and persuasion.

When Katara came out of her room, Sokka was standing with Amaya, who looked less than excited.

"Now Amaya, he'll probably be mean and cruel and generally unpleasant, and he'll probably try to get on your bad side," he warned her.

From her spot on the floor, Toph laughed. "But don't worry," she said sarcastically, "I'm sure you'll get along just fine."

Amaya looked at Katara with eyes full of worry. Katara laughed and rested a hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"Don't worry, I'm sure it'll turn out all right." Even as she said the words, she felt a sinking in her heart. She and Amaya had had a little chat about the pending visitor, and they had discussed fire being water's natural opposite.

_Your father had the same problem with Earthbending_, she'd said in that motherly tone. _But I know you can overcome it, just like he did._

_But Toph is already teaching me how to Earthbend, and it's not so hard, _Amaya had insisted. _I've just about mastered it._

_Earthbending isn't your natural opposite; Firebending is._

Yes, Aang had overcome many obstacles on his path of becoming the Avatar. Amaya, who was now old enough to understand, knew this as well. Katara had seen the damage done when the news of being the Avatar came too young, and had not wanted to tell her daughter right away. Amaya, on the other hand, had figured out that something was different on her own; she'd mastered Waterbending at a very young age, and had conquered Airbending with Kiyodu by her eleventh birthday. It had been just about obvious.

On top of all of this, it was Amaya who had asked Katara what was different about her. In the end, though Amaya had been eleven, Katara had told her daughter about the Avatar, the Avatar's duties, and why she had been chosen. Much to Katara's dismay, Amaya had insisted that she learn as much as possible right away. And now here they were; Amaya was twelve, just as Aang had been when he had been learning his Bending, and she was about to meet –

"Hello, Zuko." Katara threw open the door and stepped back to allow the Fire Lord to enter.

Dressed, as according to plan, like a cloaked peasant, Zuko nodded to Katara and stepped inside, never smiling. Katara closed the door and turned to face her guest; he looked more or less the same as when she had seen him twelve years ago, with the exception that he had aged. Then again, she mused, she had aged, too.

"Where is the Avatar?" Zuko asked, pulling back his hood with one hand and revealing an ugly scar.

"Right here." Amaya stepped out from behind a scowling Sokka and clasped her hands together. She bowed her head in respect, but Katara thought that she was doing this to keep from showing fear.

Dropping all pretences, Zuko backed away in revulsion. "You didn't tell me the Avatar was a girl!" he exclaimed, pointing angrily to Amaya. Amaya, who was unsure whether to be amused or afraid, took a step back from the scarred Fire Lord.

"_Real men don't start wars – they finish them!"_

_Aang backed flat against the wall, the tips of Zuko's fingers still at his throat. "Why does this remind me of that time I told those two groups to take action on their differences?" Aang asked himself, his voice strangely high. "For some reason I don't see a happy ending to this."_

"_Will you stop talking for _two seconds_!" Zuko shouted. A plume of flame shot from his fingertips. Aang yelped and shrank further against the wall._

Katara put one hand on her hip and exposed the Spirit Oasis chain around her neck with the other. "_I'm_ a girl," she stated, "And I could kick your butt if I wanted to."

Toph, who was still sprawled lazily on the ground, didn't bother to hide an appreciative smirk.

A few moments passed in utter silence. Finally, Zuko tore his eyes away from Katara and frowned at the young girl in front of him. "Very well," he said. "Let's begin."

-

Firebending was proving to be more difficult than Katara had imagined that it would be. Amaya didn't feel comfortable around Zuko because of his unfriendly demeanor, and he most certainly had taken no attachment to her. He pressed on with the lession, however, with Katara watching from a comfortable distance; she kept a jug of water nearby, just in case. Toph sat beside her, looking bored.

"Firebending requires stamina and control," Zuko said in an informative voice. Amaya copied his wide stance and set her jaw. "And, unlike Waterbending or Airbending, Firebending requires severe discipline."

Katara rolled her eyes.

"Furthermore, you need to properly learn how to think like a Firebender before you can actually get around to Firebending. If you don't have the right discipline, you'll end up burning somebody, or even yourself. Now do as I do…"

They began the exercises. Zuko maintained a perfect calm, never breaking a sweat or showing any sort of emotion. Apparently his years as Fire Lord had given him some patience. His posture was perfect, his hair pulled back into a long ponytail, and his stance was solid. Amaya, who stood a few feet across from him, attempted to follow his directions, but she soon had small beads of sweat accumulated on her forehead and face.

"Okay, stop," ordered Zuko.

Grateful for a break, Amaya dropped her stance and bent over double, her hands on her knees. Katara Bended a ball of water over to her daughter, who took it with her own Bending and forced the entire ball into her mouth. Zuko's eyebrow twitched slightly upwards.

A minute later, they were back in position.

"Feel your chi," Zuko said. "Trust in it and feel it flowing; that way, you can direct the raw energy inside you into something else – fire!" He raised the palm of his hand towards the ceiling and a small plume of flame danced upon his hand. Amaya's eyes widened. She tried to do as he did, but failed.

"Widen your stance," Toph ordered from the sidelines. "Think sturdy, like an Earthbender. Rocklike!"

Zuko shot her a glare that she could not see, but nevertheless continued on with Amaya. Katara giggled; perhaps he was not as patient as she'd thought.

-

That night, when Amaya had gone off to bed with sore muscles and a less-than-happy attitude, Katara was still awake and tidying the house for the next day's activities. Through the door of Toph's room she could hear raising voices.

"…completely insane!"

"Oh Sokka, just shut up. It's really not a big deal."

Katara didn't need to hear Toph's response to know what Sokka was upset about. When she'd received the reply from Zuko that said when he was going to arrive, she'd realized that she just didn't have enough space for everybody to have a room. The house, while larger than most, was simply not large enough. She would, of course, keep her own room. With Kiyodu married and living on his own, Amaya had _her_ own room. Toph had gotten rid of her apartment and moved in permanently for her own reasons, which left Sokka. While he called the house 'home', he was prone to leaving for days at a time for various reasons. Therefore, he was given the option of staying in Toph's room or sleeping in the main sitting room, because Zuko would be occupying his room.

Needless to say, this plan hadn't pleased Sokka.

He'd complained and argued about it, but in the end Katara had put her foot down. She was, after all, the head of the house, and therefore the woman with the last say. In the end, Sokka elected to stay in Toph's room because he didn't trust Zuko enough to want to sleep in the open "with the Fire Lord on the prowl".

"Not a big deal?" Sokka spluttered loud enough for Katara to hear. "You wouldn't be saying that if you had to give up _your_ living space for the guy who's tried to kill you a million times!"

Toph's response was almost immediate. "Well, only if I had something to hide. Is that why you're so angry, Sokka? Don't want Zuzu to find your love letters to Suki?"

Wincing, Katara refrained from going to stop the argument before it got out of hand – or loud enough for Zuko to hear on the other side of the house, where he was presumably sleeping in Sokka's room.

A few silent moments later, Sokka's voice answered quietly, "I don't have any love letters." Another pause. "Suki and I are… taking a break."

"Taking a break?" Toph sounded surprised – an unusual characteristic. "Why?"

Katara, who could now hardly hear the conversation, picked up a vase of flowers and carried it to the table closest to Toph's door. At a different time, she would probably not have eavesdropped. Right now, though, the news of Suki and Sokka's relationship was more important than her morals; as long as she could remember, Sokka and Suki had had some serious tension in their relationship. Most of the time they were not 'together', but sometimes it would appear that they had more than just friendship going on.

"I…" Sokka broke off, and Katara could almost picture him taking a deep breath. "I don't know what I want with my life right now. I'm getting sort of old, you know, and yet I'm still not married. Katara and Aang got married when Aang turned sixteen!"

"So? _I'm_ not married either, you know."

The following silence, while short, seemed to last an eternity to Katara as she waited with bated breath. Finally, a low murmur almost too quiet to hear: "Exactly."

-

As she lay in bed, mulling over the things she had just heard, some different thoughts came to her mind. She thought about her own engagement, her own marriage, and her own relationship. When the news that the Avatar had gotten engaged had reached the public, the reaction had been almost staggering.

"_Uh, Aang? I think you should see this…" Katara trailed off and pulled her eyes away from the startling sight. The noise was almost deafening, loud enough to the point where Aang was startled into leaping to his feet._

"_What's going on?" he asked, walking over to where she stood at the front door._

_She tried not to let her embarrassed grin show. "The entire city is right outside."_

_Surprised, Aang crossed the room and hesitantly stuck his head out the door. An explosion of noise erupted, causing both of them to jump. Aang grinned sheepishly and gave Katara an amused, embarrassed look._

"_I guess they found out," he said with a small shrug; he was trying to keep from smiling too broadly. _

"_Yeah," Katara looked out the door at all the cheering, clapping, smiling people. "I guess so, huh?"_

Yes, that experience had been most interesting. Even more interesting, though, had been the wedding itself. It had been as simple as possible, and had been held at a discreet location in the inner walls of the city. Though they hadn't told many people, the turnout had been greater than expected. The occasion had been, after all, the Avatar's wedding. Aang had even planned a certain surprise for the occasion, with a little help from Sokka.

"_What's going on?" she asked. "And when can I look?"_

"_Not yet." Even though she couldn't see him, she could sense that Aang was grinning. Call it a sixth sense. He took her by the hand and guided her into a nearby building, for he'd insisted that she don a blindfold until he told her that she could look. _

_The sound of a door opening came to her ears, then he pulled her into a room and closed the door._

"_Okay, ready?" he asked._

_Both curious and a little apprehensive, she replied, "Ready."_

_His gentle fingers fumbled with the knot on the blindfold, then he pulled the silk away and she saw – _

"_Dad!"_

_Katara ran across the room and threw herself into her father's open arms. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she laughed and hugged him. _

"_How did you pull this off?" she asked, pulling away and wiping a tear. _

_Her father smiled. "Aang and Sokka made the arrangements. And besides, nothing could keep me from seeing my only daughter's wedding."_

_Still with tears in her eyes, Katara turned around and gave Aang a gracious look. He only grinned._

Of course, things didn't go perfectly smooth from there. The wedding itself was short and sweet, and the reception was nice as well, with lots of food and dancing and music. However, by the end of the night several people had keeled over from alcohol consumption. And who had stepped up to the plate to escort said persons home? The peacemaker himself: Aang.

"_I'm sorry that you got stuck as 'Designated Flier' on your wedding night," apologized Aang from where he sat at Appa's reins. _

"_I don't mind," answered Katara, and that was true enough. Sure, she could think of a handful of things she'd rather be doing, but the number one thing on the chart was just being with him. He seemed to read her mind._

"_Besides, we're together anyway," he added with a shrug, then patted a semi-conscious partygoer on the head. "Isn't that right, Sir? And I'd rather be up here than cleaning up the party with Sokka and Toph."_

_Aang and Katara laughed until one of the drunken passengers threw up over the side of Appa's saddle._

_- _

"Come on! Get up!" commanded Zuko in frustration.

"_I thought the Avatar was supposed to have incredible strength… Get up or I'll kill you and all your little friends. Move!"_

Amaya scrambled to her feet after yet another failed attempt at creating fire and put her palms on her knees, gasping. "I can't do this," she panted.

"_I can't…"_

Katara ran over to her daughter and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. Kiyodu, who had stopped by to watch the training with Sokka and Katara (and Toph, but that was different for her), clenched his fists together to keep from yelling at the Firebender.

"Amaya," Katara murmured in Amaya's ear, "maybe you need to take a break –"

"No!" The young Avatar stood up straight. Her expression was hard as she looked directly at Zuko. "Master Zuko, I need to seek guidance."

"From who?" he asked, somewhat surprised.

"I don't know," she answered. Then, she sank to the ground, crossed her legs, and placed her knuckles together. "But I'm supposed to be the bridge between the worlds, so I might as well try to contact one of the past Avatars and get some answers from them."

"_Yes… I can make it."_

Katara covered her mouth with her hand as her heart skipped several beats from surprise.

"You can _do_ that?" Kiyodu exclaimed, baffled. "I've been trying to talk to Dad from the Spirit World since I was eight, and all this time you could have done it?" He crossed his arms and Momo curled up on top of his tattooed head. "That's no fair." Toph gave him a semi-affectionate punch in the arm and he winced at her strength.

"Hey, at least you don't have to keep the peace among the four nations," Sokka said pointedly to Kiyodu. He then shot a significant glare at Zuko. "Of course, if certain world leaders could keep their Benders under control – agh!" He leapt up from his seat as if he'd been burned.

Zuko gave him a self-satisfied smirk and pocketed the hand he'd used to heat the ground beneath Sokka. Sokka sat down again, scowling, next to Toph. Katara took a seat next to Sokka, and in the silent moments that followed, Zuko sat down next to Katara.

Her brows furrowed in concentration, her tongue poking out of the corner of her mouth, Amaya closed her eyes and tried to meditate. Katara folded her hands on her lap as she sat in silence. Kiyodu looked back and forth between his mother and his sister with growing impatience. Finally he stood up, walked across the room, and jabbed his sister in the side of the head with one finger.

"Are you there yet?" he asked.

Amaya opened her eyes and sent her brother a nasty glare. He jumped, startled, and Momo fell off his head.

"Stop it, Kiyodu!" she snapped. "I'm working my butt off over here and you're not helping!"

"Fine, fine, whatever." Kiyodu backed off, hands raised defensively.

Katara knew that he was excited and said nothing. Heck, she was excited as well; if Amaya succeeded, she could possibly talk to one of the past Avatars, and maybe even Aang.

Amaya settled back into her cross-legged position and closed her eyes. Breath after deep breath she pulled in, held, and let out. Katara saw Zuko give her a skeptical look in her peripheral vision and chose to ignore it. Her eyes were set firmly on her daughter.

And then, nearly five minutes later, when Katara was about to suggest that they try again later, Amaya opened her eyes, which had turned a glowing white. Kiyodu, who had never seen this sort of thing before, gave a strangled yell and leapt to his feet.

"What happened?" he asked, wheeling around to face the others in the room. Katara was grinning, Sokka appeared satisfied, Toph was expressionless, and even Zuko looked somewhat impressed.

"It worked," Katara breathed, standing up and walking over to her daughter. Kiyodu followed suit, dropped to his knees in front of his sister, and waved a hand in front of her face. Her glowing eyes didn't blink.

"So – so she's in the Spirit World?" he asked.

Katara nodded.

"So what do we do now?"

"Nothing." Everyone turned to Zuko as he spoke, for not a word had left his mouth since before he'd plunked down beside Katara. And he would know, Katara thought. He'd been in this situation before, after all. "We wait."

And they did. Sokka brought out his weapons and began sharpening them. Kiyodu whipped up a ball of air to entertain Momo. Katara and Toph muttered to each other in low voices, with Katara shooting occasional glances over Toph's shoulder to check up on the unmoving Amaya. Zuko laid back on the ground and shot small flames above his head as if he were bored, his silence more prominent than anybody else's. Every once in a while Sokka would shoot the Fire Lord a sidelong glance, as if to make sure that no trouble was being caused.

An hour later, a loud gasp captured the attention of everybody in the room. Amaya, who had been sitting in a stiff-backed meditative position, closed her eyes and fell backwards. Snapping out of his doze, Zuko sat upright.

"What happened?" Toph demanded, sitting up.

"She's back!" Kiyodu jumped to his feet and rushed over to his sister's side. Katara stood as well, but didn't move forward just yet.

Amaya groaned and sat up with a little help, then looked around. Her expression was one that Katara had seen on Aang's face many times before: it was a combination of exhaustion, a little confusion, and some wariness.

Sokka wasn't waiting for her to recuperate. He dropped his machete and flexed his fingers nervously. "So... how was it?" he asked.

Kiyodu stuck his hands underneath Amaya's arms from behind and lifted her into a more comfortable sitting position. She blinked a few times, then scrambled to her feet and ran towards Katara with a speed that none of them had been expecting. Surprised, Katara found herself in a tight embrace from a crying Amaya. She seemed to be on the brink of an emotional breakdown, but at the same time she didn't seem… upset.

"Amaya, what's wrong?" Katara asked, baffled. "What happened?"

Amaya turned her head to the side and smiled through her tears, her eyes tightly closed. She gave a loud, shuddery sniffle.

"Daddy sends his love."

* * *

A/N: Only an epilogue left! 

Oh yes, and I apologize for the utter randomness of the beginning, and then the flash forward of about seven years. :D


	11. In The End

A/N: Alas, parting is such sweet sorrow. Yes my friends, we have reached the end of the line. It's been tons of fun writing this (though it mostly wrote itself) and I'll just take a moment to thank my fabulous reviewers. I'm very sorry if I missed your name.

So hats off to:

4olivesinned, Aangs fangirl 1214, Ataraia, BlackBlur87, Cass the Homocidal Maniac, Daydream11, desdemona kakalose, frozenheat, Invaderm, Kataang93, Kataanglover, Katara2102, Libowiekitty, Mcwheeler12, My evil mind, Nafien, RHrWilLizKataangPrincess2010, and all you anonymous reviewers, too!

And a special thanks to Invaderm, for being the coolest dork ever.

Now, without further ado, we have our epilogue.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Happy Reading!

* * *

Epilogue – In The End

_"…and then you'll have your third great grandchild before quietly passing away in your sleep."_

Katara smiled to herself. As usual, Aunt Wu had been right on the money. Well, almost. She actually had four great grandchildren, several nieces and nephews, and a handful of great nephews and nieces, if called that.

Kiyodu had moved on to do great things with his life; he'd gotten married, joined Sokka in the fight for peace and international unity, and had three children, who had also had children. Now, in addition to Kiyodu, there were a handful of tattooed Airbenders in the family.

As if it were yesterday, Katara remembered the day that Kiyodu had finally "earned his arrows". And oh, hadn't that just been fantastic? She could still hear his screams and see Aang's somewhat apprehensive expression. A laugh almost escaped her. After all of that, Kiyodu had attempted to persuade Amaya into taking the arrows as well, but she wouldn't. The other Avatars hadn't had the markings unless they were born Airbenders, and she wasn't about to give up her Waterbending heritage. Still, she and her brother were as close as ever.

Amaya, while still a loving person, had chosen to open the Thought Chakra, thereby letting go of all earthly attachment. While it didn't change her feelings for her family and friends, it made it virtually impossible for her to be a spouse. Still, she accomplished great things as the Avatar, including end the war for good. The rebel attacks had stopped after one last battle, in which many died on both sides of the fight. One such person happened to be Suki.

Sokka had been crushed by this, and had decided to block out all relationships for the rest of his life. This decision, however, had not lasted. The only woman who could still talk to him, Katara excluded, had been Toph. Slowly but surely she had picked away at his desperate attempt at blocking people from his life, with the argument that it was not his fault that these women had died. In the end, she managed to get through his stony exterior and open his heart once again.

Two years later, they had married. While Toph had been unsure about having children because of her blindness, Sokka and Katara had been with her every step of the way, and eventually Sokka had several new 'warriors' in his life: a pair of twin Earthbenders, one a boy and one a girl, and then another little girl. Katara still found this to be very amusing; Sokka, who had once nursed a very bleak opinion of women, was now constantly surrounded by them.

The rest of Aunt Wu's prediction, though, had been correct. As Katara lay there in the warmth of her own bed, she felt that her time had finally come. She was old – ancient, she often said – and not afraid of the next challenge in life: death.

A deep sigh came to her, and she grasped the opportunity to take it. If death was coming to her, it wasn't so bad after all. She was situated on Aang's side of the bed, hands folded on her stomach, and she felt a serenity that she had never felt before. Then, suddenly, she was sleepy. She took one last look around the room, inhaled a deep breath, closed her eyes –

And opened them to find that she was lying on a grassy slope overlooking a river.

"What the –?" Katara sat up and looked to her right, then to her left. As far as she could see, there was nothing but nature all around her. She furrowed her brows and looked down at her hands, only to see that her hands were not her own. Or, at least, she had not seen these hands since she was in her twenties. A gasp escaped her lips. "I'm young again!" she breathed, in awe.

Her immediate thrill disappeared when she realized that she'd never seen this place before. How long had she been lying on his hill, anyway? A gentle breeze passed through and pushed her hair loops around her face. Was this really what death was like? If so, she decided that she didn't mind it half as much as she thought that she would. Only, she was just – just so… _alone_. Somewhere deep inside her heart she had hoped that, maybe –

"I've been waiting for you."

The voice, and the familiarity of the voice, startled her. Katara spun around on the slope and saw a person sitting beneath a blossoming tree: Aang. Any words that may have been on the tip of her tongue vanished at that instant. He was _there_, sitting cross-legged with his staff lying across his lap, a small smile turned in the corners of his mouth. He looked exactly the same as he had that last time he'd kissed her goodbye.

And, for some reason, Katara didn't feel any tears prickling in her eyes. She was too astounded to even think.

"_Yes… I can make it."_

Aang stood up and walked a few paces towards her, but stopped.

"You're – you're here," she breathed, covering her hands with her mouth. All the sorrow that she had ever felt seemed to dissipate at that moment, leaving nothing but a confused sort of jubilation. Here she was, back in her young body in this beautifully strange place, and she was with Aang. _Aang_. How many times had she thought about him, seeing him, just being able to look him in the eye and tell him that she loved him? Her hands fell to her sides as they stared at one another, he with a vaguely amused smile and she with shock evident on her face.

"_Besides, we're together anyway."_

"So…" she began, her voice unsure and not quite at her normal pitch. Her expression was unsure, yet hopeful all the same. "What do we do now?"

He opened his arms as if gesturing to the world around him, his grin suddenly broad. "Whatever you want," he answered. "Just say the word and you're there."

"And how long do we have?"

Aang scratched his chin thoughtfully and gave her his trademark grin. "Oh, I'd say we have, roughly… eternity. How does that sound?"

He held out his hand to her for the first time in decades, and suddenly time itself was not a factor.

"It's just you and me now," he said.

"_I wouldn't marry anyone else."_

Her eyes dropped to his outstretched hand, then back up to his kind face. His eyes sparkled with youth, love, and promise for a perfect union for the rest of, well, eternity. In the end, Katara supposed, that's what she had been waiting for.

And it sounded so right.

So she let her eyes connect with his, felt the small smile spreading onto her face, and took his hand. They had been together in everything. In love, life, and death, never for one moment had they been apart. Katara then knew, that no matter what would happen, she would always have Aang.

And in the end, that was all that really mattered.

-

_Fin._


End file.
